Second Chance
by CatsEyeFanfictionInc
Summary: Sequel to, 'I'll Never Be Enough';  With the Organization gone, and life returning to normal for the Keyblade Master, a certain brunette meets with a strange couple, one with the power, and one with the key.  The question is now...Are they really gone?
1. Prolouge

I KNOW THIS LOOKS LONG, BUT PLEASE AT LEAST GLANCE THIS THROUGH!

Hello, this is Rose, here, and I need to give you a little warning! And, since I tend to ramble…be prepared…

This story is…Well, it's a bridge story, and, impossible as it is…Without it, I couldn't move the plot of 'Taking Chances' along.

You are GOING to get confused at one point, or scream, 'YOU IDIOT, THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!' and kill your computer. Rose is going to turn out to be a TOTAL Mary Sue in this story. I'm expecting mostly flames for this story. Also, I've already been told that there's too much detail…And if you end up understanding it, it's only BECAUSE there's so much needless detail…

But, please, if you gave an OUNCE of admiration to 'I'll Never Be Enough', then I can guarantee that, as much as you may come to hate this story, in the end, you'll realize I needed it to move the plot of the series along.

I kinda hate it/love it, so…^^ WHATEVER. I just wanted to warn you that this fanfiction MAY turn out to be a complete train-wreck…

Continuing on, these are basically my own theories for Kingdom Hearts in general, which crosses over into several other series to make this possible…But, since it's Kingdom Hearts, and they already cross over into other series, I thought it would be acceptable…And, honestly, I needed to write them all down for MYSELF, and, despite how length it is, this is how I wanted the sequel to go. I won't change it, I won't shorten it, I'm just going to post it, and like it or not, here it is.

I've explained all I can, I've toned it down to the best of my ability, and I have given this hours of thought.

One last note; I had limited knowledge of 'Chain of Memories' and '358/2' when I started this, so, if some of the information is off, know that it's because of that…Plus, this was almost all planned out before I even got INTO either of those games.

So, without further ado, I give you, 'Second Chance.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them.

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', plus all the OCs in 'I'll Never Be Enough', and they cannot be used without my permission.

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**Second Chance**

A Cat's Eye Fanfiction Inc. Production

The dedication contained a spoiler, so it will not be shown.

**Prologue: Knowledge**

And that's what everyone believed.

He was dead. He was gone. He would never come back.

The moment they saw him, lying there, completely frozen on screen, they thought they knew. They thought that they knew he'd never breathe again. Eternity would pass, and nothing would change. The Fearless Psychic was dead. Number 14 was dead.

As, one by one, they slowly passed onto the next life; they thought that their brains had obtained the final wisdom. The last piece of information that would ever truly matter. Especially to the Key and to the Schemer. With his disappearance, and the fact that they saw with their own two eyes that he'd never return, two teenagers had thought that nothing else mattered. Surviving through another day was the only thing to look forward to; to LIVE for one who was dead. To continue on, despite having so many secrets to share, and despite having lost someone they deeply cared about.

All because he was gone forever.

Slowly, little by little, they all lost their color. The walls turned white, and items reminding them of the Psychic were pushed away, locked up to never return to. The hardened remainders of the once-proud groups did what they could to get by.

And, eventually, they were all gone. Every single one of them, lost to the darkness. An entire Organization, destroyed by misery, loss, betrayal, love, anger, and a maddening suffering that had caused their entire beings to change.

As the darkness surrounded each of them, their current knowledge was that the swirling blacks and indigos meant that they would become deceased as well, never to return to the waking world. Their lives were over from the moment they had first died. Their lives had been over since their heart was stolen. And, at that moment, within death, they came to the conclusion that they perceived everything.

But they were wrong.

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UG! I KNOW! WAITING FOR A MONTH AND ALL I GIVE YOU IS A SHORT PROLOUGE!

DON'T KILL ME!

…The reality of it, is, I haven't gotten much done for either of the projects I swore I'd finish before I posted this, so I kinda let myself down…And updates won't be until every two week, because I still want to get them done…

BUT when they are done, updates should go to the entire 'one-week-wait' thing!

…So, yeah. This was basically for the warning, and the intro. Interpret it as you wish.

~Cat's Eye


	2. Chance Meeting

UPDATE! :D

GASP! AN ACTUAL CHAPTER! D:

I promised every other week, and I'm going to be diligent about that! ^^

I also promise; the moment I finish the never-ending fanfiction and start that other one, I'll go to every week. I just need to get a head-start on that second fanfiction soon, and I didn't want to work on it until I finished 'Never-Endie'.

SO…now what?

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them.

I also do not own NCIS. I just geek out over Abby all the time.

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Rose, Devon, and Candice, and these cannot be used without my permission.

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**CHAPTER 1: Chance Meeting**

It had been over a year since the first member had been slain.

Just brushing into July, the weather was getting warmer; the younger generations were all running around, leaping into pools, tanning themselves, getting wasted over summer vacation, dreading the slowly-creeping school year that would be coming eventually. However, there are those days when the sun beat down just a little too hard, and indoor activities were mandatory in order for one to obtain and preserve their sanity.

Three people, living their own lives. One extraordinary, one more important than she could ever imagine, and one who would be the key to everything. None of them had any idea what was in store for them that day. One in pain, two in joy. One needing to get away, two needing one another. Three people. One club. All the pieces falling into place…

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"Wow, I thought it would be more packed than this!"

"Rose, we came in the MIDDLE OF THE DAY. Everyone's out on the beach!"

"In THIS heat wave? I'm surprised that we aren't getting any reports of human beings turning into gel!"

Light laughter filled the air, though it was lost quickly in the roar of the music and the endless chit-chatter surrounding the couple. They looked around, from one person to the next, seeking a familiar face. When they found none, they felt neither relief, nor disappointment. To them, it was just data they had collected; no friends here, so we can be alone. It was neither good nor was it bad. It was simply an observation.

"So, you think anyone else will come?"

He reached down his tanned hand into the pocket of his jeans, fishing around for a few moments before pulling out a deep blue BlackBerry. He opened it, pressed a single button, and searched for a small icon shaped like a sand-colored envelop. When he found none, he put it away, cramming it into his pocket. "I dunno…I didn't get any messages. I doubt it."

She slung her arms around his, staring up at him adoringly. "Well, that just means I get to have more alone time with you…"

He beamed at her, his pearly white teeth flashing with the light all around them. "You know you have me wrapped around your fingers…"

"Isn't that why we're here?"

A short memory played in each of their minds. Perhaps not at the exact same moment, and their memories were slightly different from each other, since each had a different perspective on the situation. But, frankly, it was simply this:

"_Devon, Devon, it's HOT OUTSIDE!"  
"Yes, Rose, that tends to happen during the summer."_

_Green eyes rolled. "Yeah, so we should do something INSIDE!"  
"You had in mind…?"_

_"Let's go to The Night!"_

_"But what about that movie we wanted to see?"_

_"Screw it, I wanna dance!"_

_It was blue's turn to roll. "But, I was just about to order the—"_

_Before he could finish his sentence, two lean, pale arms snaked around him. A soft, small head rested itself on his shoulder. A sigh of mock sadness entered his ear. And then, in a voice that could've almost passed for a vocal version of the puppy dog face, he heard one word escape from his angel's lips._

_"…Please?"_

_In that instant, he knew he had lost. He sighed._

_"Fine…"_

_"YAYS! I love you!" The arms wrapped tighter around him. He managed a small smirk._

And that was why they were there.

She looked around. "Well, at least it's a bit emptier than usual. That means it's less hot in here…"

"Yeah…It's an oven outside…" He tugged on his collar and pretended to gag, as though he were still caught in the blaze of the sun. She giggled.

"Well, The Night has killer AC in the summer, so I'm sure it won't get hot!" The Night was located on 23 Northern Avenue in a town called Newsbury, which wasn't far from her home town, Fort Scemel. She and her boyfriend had read about in the papers one day, when searching for something to do, and decided to go there.

It was a kid's club, in the sense that it was exactly like a club, minus the strippers, the alcohol, the drugs, the pole dancing, and anything that reaches above the PG-13 meter. Still, despite all of that, it was an incredibly popular spot for teenagers who were either too young to go to regular clubs, or didn't want to go to them because drunks didn't appeal to them. It was a giant family place, and the place always had people in it, from the moments it opens to the second it closes.

And, if the newspaper hadn't advertised it enough, the appearance had drawn them in at first glance. It was a black building, with four pillars in the walls nearby. There was a silver sign with a moon for the background, and the words 'The Night' shining in bright neon silver, with a tint of blue. There were two people who stood by the door, smiling, laughing, and sporting friendly glints in their eyes. They'd either checked in a membership card, or let you in for the price of $10; rather cheap, though everything inside was still priced.

The inside was everything else they needed to convince them, plus a bag of chips. It was simply stunning in not only size, but in color, and in sheer capacity of people. The entire club was black; black furniture, black ceiling, black walls, black doors, black carpet, black bar…even the workers had black uniforms! The only part of the club with a different color, really, was the ceiling, which had small lights in it that made it look like stars on the night sky. A giant disco ball hung up on the ceiling, which looked like a half-moon. There was a tiled dance floor that flashed all sorts of color. And, maybe it had just been that particular night, but everything seemed to be filled with extra energy. The DJ, twisting disks as though he did it since he was in diapers, shouted to the people on the dance floor, who replied with just as much (if not more) enthusiasm. The music seemed to pump louder than anything the couple had ever heard, the people seemed so friendlier than they had ever been, the lights just a bit more bright…

Next week, they brought friends.

The week after that, the couple got membership cards, which means that each visit would cost $20, which WOULD seem like a step backwards, if it didn't mean that everything inside was free.

Back to reality. They walked by people, dodging through the sea of colored cloth, searching for a spot inside the club where they could reach a decision.

They stood near the bar, which appeared to be made out of some sort of black stone; possibly obsidian. The chairs were about three feet tall, and were made of comfortable leather. They spun around too. Several goofballs could be seen spending small amounts of time just spinning around and around, causing others to laugh.

"Alright, D, what do ya wanna do?"

"Well…I have to pee."

"Now? We just GOT HERE!"  
"PEE-EEE!" he exclaimed, beginning to do the 'I have to go to the bathroom' dance, hands on crotch, strained look on his face, and everything. The only way you could tell he was joking was the sparkling look in his eyes.  
"Why didn't you go before we left?"

"I didn't have to go!"

"Well, what are you talking to me for? GO, you idiot!" she laughed. He sighed in mock relief, and began to weave his way through the crowd, as though he was about to wet his pants, and needed to prevent that. Another bout of laughing escaped her lips. She then wondered what she could do in the time of her boyfriend's absence…

Realizing she was thirsty, she walked to the bar, and sat on one of the chairs, spinning once before taking action. "Candice!" she shouted, waving over at the pretty bar-tender. A 21-year-old woman looked back at her, surprised to hear her name being called by someone other than the manager. After realizing who it was, however, she smiled and waved back, pausing from polishing her glass. "Be over in a moment!" Her skin was the color of dark caramel, and her hair was bright beach blonde, which couldn't be her natural color, but no one would say that to her face. She wasn't the loveliest flower or the skinniest, but she was extremely friendly, and a pretty good catch. She wore 'The Night' uniform, which consisted of a black shirt, black shorts, and black shoes, along with an apron that held a note-pad and a pen. She opened her eyes a second later to focus on her customer; the color appeared to be an unusual grayish-orange color.

Candice walked over and put her elbow on the counter, her face right in the girl's, as though she were about to flirt. "How's it going, girl?"

"The usual."

"And is that what you're getting to drink?"

"Sure! Can I get a separate cup of water, too? I'm as dehydrated as a turtle!"

Candice laughed. "Not quite sure how this makes sense…But, one Pina Colada mixed with Coca-Cola and a separate glass of water, coming right up for the dehydrated turtle!"

She smiled, and watched the blonde stride down the bar to chase down some ingredients. That's when she noticed the boy next to her. Confused to see him seem so depressed, she looked down at him, frowning.

Her first initial thought was that the boy was cute. Not in the sense that she was looking to date him, but cute in the sense that his child-like face, long eye-lashes, and sparkling blue eyes made him look like a little angel. However, angels didn't tend to have giant spikes all over their head; he appeared to have chocolate brown hair, with two large spikes primarily on the sides, and a few miscellaneous ones up top. His skin was a deep peach, giving it a slight tan overtone. He appeared to have arms and legs that were nothing more than flesh and bone, though she could see a slight bulge that indicated he had SOME muscle. He had oddly large hands and, as she observed his outfit, she noticed his abnormally large feet, even for a boy his age. He was wearing a complicated outfit; it was black, with red pouches, yellow straps, red and blue undershirt…She had trouble taking everything in. So, she didn't bother.

_Well, HE certainly isn't having fun!_ The boy had his head rested on his arms, which were crossed and resting on the counter in front of him. His eyes were dull with sadness, though, in the background, she could see a small spark of life.

He appeared not to have noticed her. All he did was let out a tired, defeated sigh. Rose decided not to bother him. She had learned from her own experiences with depression that if one feels the need to be alone, it's best that they be left alone.

Suddenly, her stomach rumbled lightly. She looked down, surprised. A snort of amusement followed her shifted gaze. Of course she was hungry; she hadn't eaten since breakfast! She had been so eager to get out the door that lunch had seemed like an annoyance that she could avoid.

Since she tended not to favor starvation, she observed her surroundings. As always, there was a small bowl of popcorn next to the napkins and straws, placed between her and the boy. Her eyes brightened, though the difference wasn't much; they were already small stars, elated to be out and about with the one she cared for most.

She reached nonchalantly for the popcorn, intending to get a small handful and munch on it until Devon got back. Maybe they could ask Candice to whip her up something quick, and who knows how hungry her iron-stomach boyfriend would be when he got back?

She began to grab a fistful, only to pause as another hand was placed on top her hers. Immediately, the green-eyed girl recognized the extremely large hand that was covering her own.

She looked up, surprised. What was this guy trying to pull…?

But one look in his bright blue eyes—sparkling with surprise—told her that he was just as surprised as she was. She smiled at him, muttering, "Opps! Sorry!" She withdrew her hand. "You can have some first!"

He pulled back his own hand, weakly trying to return her smile. However, it looked closer to a grimace. "No, it's alright! I'm not that hungry, anyways…" He trailed off a bit on the last part, looking away. The crestfallen look was placed back on his face, and his shoulders—heightened in surprise—drooped again.

Rose sent him a smirk. Well, he was friendly, and he couldn't always be depressed. Perhaps she could strike a conversation! Even though her first initial thought was to leave him alone, if she could make him feel a bit better…

"You know, people only tend to starve themselves when they feel like crap…And people feel like crap when something's physically or mentally wrong," she muttered, putting her chin on her hand, and placing the elbow connect to that hand on the counter.

The boy next to her snorted. He put his head back on his arms, which crossed on the black counter. "You could say that…" he muttered.

Rose realized that she didn't even know the boy's name. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm a complete stranger! Of course you wouldn't tell me your problems!" she exclaimed brightly, trying to exhilarate the boy, if only slightly. It worked. He lifted his head, a sudden burst of interest on his face. Rose smiled brightly, extending a hand. "My name's Rose!"

He smiled in return; an almost-real smile. The light of depression was slowly leaving his eyes. He lifted one of his too-large hands and shook Rose's. "I'm Sora," he said.

"Alright, now that we've acquainted, do you mind telling me why you're sulking here?"

The downcast expression returned, though now that he was speaking to another human being, the grip seemed to have lessened on his emotions. "Well, why wouldn't I be sulking here?" he asked, trying to amuse her.

"I'm here about five or ten times a month, and I have NEVER seen you here before. Usually, new sulkers just wanted to get away from their life, so they randomly come here after seeing an ad in the newspaper!" Rose chimed brightly.

Sora sent her a weird look. Then, letting out a snicker, he muttered, "What are you, psychic or something?"

Rose responded with a light and airy laugh. "Nah. I've just heard a few stories from Candice!"

Sora sent her a confused look. She rolled her eyes, but more in amusement than annoyance. "Best bartender here. That also tells me you're new. Every regular knows Candice. She's MAGICAL with her drinks. Observe!" she exclaimed, as Candice arrived with her drink. It was almost as though it had been on cue. Sora laughed. Candice smiled.

"Wow, you got him to talk! That's impressive!" Candice exclaimed. Rose giggled. Candice sized up on Sora, then leaned over on the counter, her face close to his, but not so close to make him uncomfortable. "You are aware that she is a taken woman, and her man will destroy anyone who tries to steal his precious flower away?" she asked.

Rose responded to this by punching the older woman on the arm, giggling. "CANDICE!" she exclaimed. Candice laughed. The show caused a few chuckles to escape from Sora's lips.

"I wasn't aware she was taken, but I wasn't after that, anyways!" Sora explained, smiling. The smile, however, didn't last for long, and was gone a moment later. "Actually…" he continued, slouching. "That's pretty much the last thing I want to do…"

Sympathy welled up in both green and gray-orange. Candice began walking off, saying, "I'll leave this to Rose. If there's anyone who can cheer you up, it's her!"

Sora didn't smile at this comment, wrapped up in his own sadness. Rose put a hand on his shoulder. "Trouble with a crush?"

"Not really…"

"Then what's the matter?"

Sora hesitated. Then, he sighed. "I broke up with my girlfriend…" he muttered.

Rose winced. Having never have gone through a break-up before (she and Devon had fought a few times, but it was rare, and quickly resolved) she had seen her friends deal with some pretty nasty break-ups, and could only offer small tidbits of support and advice as her friends slowly suffered. "What happened?"

He paused. Rose quickly added, "You can trust me! I don't spill secrets! Sides, I probably don't know her! I'm guessing you live in a different town?"

"Yeah…I haven't seen you before, either…" He sighed, almost wearily. "Guess it's safe…" He sat up, slouching over slightly, and looked at Rose when he could keep his gaze up as he spoke. "Well, me and this one girl…we were friends ever since we first met…we were best friends, along with my other friend. But, I guess, we felt like we liked each other, and we started dating…but then, we realized that…whenever we tried couples stuff…you know, holding hands, kissing…it would feel awkward. So, we just became friends again. I felt good about it; after all, she was my best friend, and, to tell you the truth, my other friends likes her a lot more than I ever did; I think it was just that I missed her a lot and read that as affection…but, it still hurt to break up…and it was recently," he added. "That's why I'm here, sulking. I still kind of like her, and…I wanted to get over her…"

"Aw, poor thing!" Rose crooned, patting Sora on the shoulder. "Was it rough for her?"

"Actually, I think she was rather relieved…" Sora muttered. "I think she was beginning to realize that she liked my best friend—"

"Can we give them names, rather than 'Ex-Girlfriend' and 'Best-Friend-In-Love-With-Ex-Girlfriend'?" Rose asked, trying to give the boy a bit of an energy boost. Sora snorted. However, a light—his old, friendly light, Rose assumed—was returning to his eye.

"Well, the girl was…is…Kairi, and the boy is Riku…"

"Riku…Kairi…Got it!"

"Well, I think Kairi was beginning to realize that she liked Riku more than me…So, she left me to be bitter and alone while hooking up with my best friend!" he added, though the last sentence was more humor-filled than anything else. He wasn't bitter about this at all!

Rose laughed. "There we go! I knew there was a sparkle underneath that Mr. Dead-Man mask!" she exclaimed, punching him on the shoulder. He giggled slightly. "So, did they hook up yet?" she asked, resting her chin on her hand. She wasn't one to gossip, but this Sora boy's story was TOO good.

"NO!" he groaned, almost laughing. "They're so stubborn, and REFUSE to admit that they like each other! Sometimes, I don't think they'll EVER hook up!" Rose began laughing harder, almost spitting out her drink and covering Sora in a mixture of spit and assorted drinks. They both laughed; Sora at the ridiculous look on Rose's face, and Rose at Sora's comments.

"Hey, invite me over! I'll be their little Cupid and they'll be hooked up in no time!" she exclaimed, pretending to have Cupid wings. Sora laughed again.

"Well, thanks for cheering me up!" he exclaimed. He paused, then awkwardly asked, "Um…What was your name again…?"

Rose snorted. "Rose. And, it's okay; I forget names all the time!"

"What's MY name?"

"Um…So…So…Sor…Sori…Sore…Som…So…Sora…? Sora?"

"Yup!"

"YAY!" She paused, then added, "But for the life of me, I can't remember that chick's name…!"

Sora laughed. "Kairi."

"AH! Knew it!"

"Did not!"

"Hey, Rosie, who ya talking to?"

Rose turned to see Devon walking up behind him. She sent him a completely fake glare. "You know I hate that nickname…!" she pretended to growl, but couldn't for the life of her keep the laughter out of her voice.

"You said since I'm your boy, I can call you it!"

"I still might break your arm for it…"

"Faker, you'd never hurt me! I know you love it when I call you Rosie!" he exclaimed, walking over and snaking his arms around her. Sora watched the entire thing in amusement. Devon looked up at Sora and smiled.

"Hello, I'm Devon!" he exclaimed. He pointed down at Rose. "And THIS. Is mine."

Rose and Sora both laughed, and Devon joined in for a moment. Then, a serious, dark expression came on his face and he muttered, "No, seriously, this is my girlfriend, and if you want her, you gotta go through me…"

Sora, slightly intimidated, leaned away, smiling almost in fear. He held up his hands in defense. "Whoa, whoa, buddy, it's not like I'm hitting on her!" he exclaimed.

Devon let the glare slide off his face, and his good-natured friendliness crept back in. "Good to know!"

Rose snorted. Crossing her legs and giving her hand a little flip, she told Sora, "Oh, don't take anything serious this over-protective goof says seriously. He means nothing."

"To you?" Devon asked playfully, feigning hurt.

"Now, did I say that?" Rose giggled, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek. Sora smiled. Devon focused his attention back on Sora. "So, what brings you here?"

"Can all you regulars spot a newbie or something?" Sora joked. The couple in front of him laughed.

"Pretty much, actually! So, what were you and Rose talking 'bout?"

Time past quickly for the trio as Sora retold his story, and they exchanged tales to each other, laughing, and generally having a good time. It wasn't until Rose glanced down at her watch while laughing than she realized they had been talking for almost 3 hours, give or take.

"Oh, shoot, Devon, we gotta get going if we wanna watch NCIS!" she exclaimed. Devon rolled his eyes.

"You and your obsession with Abby…"

"HEY! She is AMAZING. You know you love her, too!" Rose looked up at Sora, an apology written on her face. "I have to go watch a marathon tonight…Sorry my dedication to a TV show outweighs my dedication to keeping new friends!"

Sora smiled, eyes closing. "No probs!"

"But you got me and Devon's number, right?" she asked, pointing at his phone; a dark blue HTC. He flipped through his contacts, just to be sure, and nodded. "Yeah, you're both here!"

"Well, text us! We DEFINITELY have to hook up your stubborn-mule friends, Riku and…Er…"

"Kairi," Devon muttered in her ear, before the dirty blonde strained herself.

"Kairi, right!" Rose exclaimed. The boys chuckled lightly in amusement.

"Yeah, we should hang out again sometime!" Devon added in, sending the brown-haired boy a warm smile, which Sora was all-too happy to return.

"Sure! I probably should head home soon, too!" Sora said. "It'll be dark if I leave too much later."

The trio stood up and escorted each other to the door, pausing only to say a quick adieu to Candice. They parted ways outside; Sora heading left, Rose and Devon heading right. They waved.

"See ya round!"

"Bye!"

It was the end of the beginning.

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I've said many times, and I'll say it again: The plot revolves more around Sora, and my characters, primarily Rose or Devon.

I understand it's kinda boring to begin with, but if I just gave you the exciting parts without any build-up…you'd have no clue what was going on.

PLEASE, bear with it; it gets more interesting (I dunno how much more interesting, BUT MORE INTERESTING) by the…third chapter. Incidentally, that's where things start BSing you. :3

BUT, I'll give you this much: It's a sequel for a reason. WITHASUPEROWESOMEENDING.

SOYOUSHOULDREADIT.

ALLTHEWAYTHROUGH.

...And, yes, I am an NCIS nut. :3 LOVE THAT SHOW.

~Cat's Eye


	3. And Suddenly, It's Clear

I almost didn't post this one, because I'm pretty busy, but decided, 'What the heck? A promise is a promise!

We left off with Rose, Devon, and Sora parting ways, I believe…Wait, I know. Why am I saying I believe? I OWN the story. I WROTE it!

…HO-SHIZZLE. Things are gonna get interesting. :3

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them. Either that or Disney owns them.

I also don't own Full Metal Alchemist, though it is references a lot in this story…

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Rose, Devon, Darren, and the designs of my friends mentioned, meaning Sky, Lee, and Kat. Any of the mentioned cannot be used without my permission.

However, the actual people own themselves, and may or may not recognize themselves...(For some it's rather obvious)

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**CHAPTER 2: And Suddenly, It's Clear**

"DEVON! I have AMAZING…NAY! INCREDIBLE…NAY! UNBELIEVABLE news!"

Devon jolted in his seat, not expecting such a loud sound while innocently flipping through the pages of 'Buso Renkin.' His head flew almost off his neck as he craned around, only to find his girlfriend and several other of her friends rushing through the door, newspaper in hand. This alone was strange; Rose thought the newspaper was boring, and would often not even bother to read it. But now, she clung onto it as she bolted over to the curly-haired boy, jumping into his lap and wrapping his arms around his neck, with enough suppressed force to snap a person's neck. Devon winced at the sudden weight addition on his lap but, seeing as Rose was NOT a cinder block, he got used to it, and simply stared up at her, utterly lost.

"Um, what?" he dared to ask.

"So, you know our school's been cutting back on a lot of after-school clubs and firing teachers left and right and doing budget cuts?" Sky, one of Rose's friends, asked energetically. She was a hair taller than Rose, had slightly tanner skin than her other friends, short black hair (usually pulled back in a red bandana) and hazel eyes, wide and vivacious.

"Yeah, and…?" Devon asked.

"WE-ELL, they're CLOSING DOWN THE SCHOOL!" Kat exclaimed, doing his traditional, flamboyantly-awkward hand motions. His face was a field of freckles, matching his light brown hair and deep brown eyes. His hairstyle was one that stuck up just slightly more at the front, then was laid-back and rather short towards the back, but it was growing pretty quickly. He was about three or four inches shorter than Devon, but still taller than Rose; a fact that she despised more than school.

But the curly haired boy didn't care about any of that at the moment. Devon threw his arms and legs in the air, causing Rose to shriek at the sudden movement. Everyone laughed as Rose scrambled to find footing, only to end up clinging onto Devon's right leg as he shouted. "YES! NO MORE SCHOOL EVER! AND WE'RE HARDLY FRESHMEN!"

"DEVON! DEVON! DEVON, LET ME DOWN!" Rose called hysterically, as Devon began flailing his leg around.

"Opps! Sorry!" Devon apologized. He let his leg down carefully, allowing Rose to catch her breath, having begun hyperventilating. Meanwhile, her other friend, Lee, walked over and proceeded to thwack him upside the head. He winced, rubbing the small bump she had made.

"OW! What was that for?" he asked, wincing.

"You idiot!" she exclaimed, though it was all in good humor…He thought. He had never been certain on whether Lee liked him, especially since he was dating Rose. "We're not getting out of school forever! We're just never going to go to OUR school again!" The girl herself had shoulder blade-length hair, pulled back into a ponytail. It was light brown, the color of leaves in the fall. She had hazel eyes, light tan skin, and was one of the tallest of the group, a few centimeters taller than he was.

Devon slumped in his chair, groaning. "AUGH! Why? Why did you get my hopes high, only to CRUSH THEM?" he exclaimed, making crushing hand motions for his last two words. A few laughed, some snorted, while one or two just rolled their eyes in amusement.

"But this is where the GOOD NEWS comes in!" Rose exclaimed. "The schools nearby are filled to full capacity, so they gotta send us to a boarding school about 20 or so miles away!"

"What's so good about that?" Devon didn't see what was so appealing about packing everything he'd ever need and moving out of his house early.

"Don't you know what the only boarding school is in the area?" Darren asked, one visible eye widening. Confused, Devon cocked his head to one side, observing the taller boy. He had black hair, plush and sleek, hanging down his scalp and reaching to his shoulders. It hung over his right eye, reaching the middle of his cheek, then trailing back up to his bangs, which hung slightly over his eyebrows. He was taller; about a foot or so taller than Devon was. His eyes were midnight blue, skin pale, and form so emaciated; it made his friends feel concern for his welfare at times. But, this wasn't one of those times.

"Dummy, it's DTBS!" Sky exclaimed, almost jumping in joy.

"…Damn…Tight…Bull Shit?" Devon asked. DTBS sounded familiar, but for his sanity, he couldn't remember what it was.

"HEY! Mind your mouth!" Lee snapped, whacking Devon on the head again. Or, at least she tried. Devon blocked this one. "Wow, it learns from its mistakes!" she exclaimed good-humorly. Devon smiled. Yeah, he was pretty sure she liked him. A little.

"No, it's Destiny Town Boarding School!"

Devon froze, processing the information. "Shut up. You're joking…" he managed to breath.

"YEAH! We're gonna be going to school with Riku and Kairi and Sora and all their biffles!" Rose beamed, giving Devon a large hug.

"OH MY GOD, THAT IS AMAZING!" he yelled, jumping up, one fist raised in the air. The only problem was, Rose was still clinging to his neck, and ended up shrieking in shock as she dangled around his neck, clinging on with her two linked arms.

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The transition to the new school was rather smooth and boring. The trio already at school were suddenly surprised to find their small group of friends had vastly increased, but were elated by the news at the same time.

Weeks passed, and summer was ending…

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"Hey, Kairi…What do you think Roxas was like?"

Everyone looked over at the chocolate-haired boy in surprise. It had been just an average evening out—Rose, Devon, Darren, Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Sky—all chilling on Destiny Island, eating various flavors of ice creams—vanilla, pistachio, cherry, strawberry, chocolate…

But Sora had begun acting weird. For one, he asked if he could have a Sea Salt Ice Cream Bar, which was unusual. He liked the flavor, but with other choices like cookie dough or cake batter, or even dinosaur, you'd think that he'd pick something else. As he tasted his treat, a thoughtful look had stayed on his face, and remained there up to this point, 10 minutes later, when they had all sat down on the beach to stare at the waves and chat.

Kairi—a friendly red-head with blue eyes and pale skin—cocked her head to one side, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Roxas?" Rose asked, confused.

Kairi looked over at her. "He was Sora's Nobody…You know the entire 'lose your heart—have a Heartless and Nobody' thing?"

Rose nodded. Over time, Sora, Riku, and Kairi had shared their adventures to Rose, who drank all of the information up, awed by all of the fixes the trio had gotten into and out of. She had also had the honor of meeting some of their friends—among them were the the King and Queen, Donald, Goofy, Tron, Olette, Pence, and Hayner, not to mention the others on her short trips with Sora to other worlds.

"Yeah, well, I was just thinking…" He sighed, leaning back, careful not to let the sand on his popsicle. "You know, he was a part of me…And, I know the entire 'They aren't meant to exist' thing applies to him…But he seemed really nice…And kinda hurt, to," he added.

Riku cocked his head to one side. "Hurt? How so? I mean, he was a Nobody, Sora. They can't feel…"

"They shouldn't be able to…But I could've sworn there were tearstains on his face…And his eyes were…empty, almost…" He sat up, lost in his memory of meeting with his other half. "He looked a bit cheered up after we fought…But, still…" He gazed up at the sky. "I wished I could've known him better…He seemed like he'd be a great person to get to know…"

Kairi sighed. "And Namine?" she whispered, more to herself than to anyone around. When Rose sent her a confused look, Kairi let out a sigh—half in amusement, half in exasperation. "Oh, I hadn't meant to say that out loud…" she murmured, a small, almost-awkward smile on her face.

"Who's Namine?" Rose asked.

Sora jumped slightly, picked up out of his oblivious world. He snapped his finger, a suddenly intelligent look on his face. "OH! Namine! She's the one who promised to restore all my memories!" He paused, then his eyes widened. "Wait…wasn't she YOUR Nobody, Kairi?"

"Yeah…And, I saw her just about as much as you saw Roxas…" She let out a small sigh. "Sora talking about Roxas made me think that I didn't really get to know Namine either. I don't know why I'm so interested in someone who wasn't meant to exist…" She added a breathless laugh to the last sentence. "But, you know…I really didn't get to know what she was like…"

Riku snorted, dismissing the topic. "Sora, Kairi, those two were Nobodies. Nice as they seem, interesting as they are, they can't feel, and weren't meant to exist!"

Darren winced slightly. "That's a little harsh…It wasn't like they chose it…"

Riku groaned. "Ug, not this argument again…"

"Again?" Sky asked.

"Well, all of the people who fought the Nobodies," Riku explained, "Are debating whether they all deserved to die, because of Xemnas's intentions, or whether they were simply victims of the darkness, like we were…I usually back the fact that they had to die, but honestly, I don't really know what to think…" An analytical look crossed his face, and a pale hand reach the back of his neck, brushing underneath his silver hair. "Roxas seemed okay for a while…And, from what I've heard of Axel, he didn't seem like that bad of a guy…" He shook his head. "What are we saying?" he asked, looking down at Sora.

Sora snorted, though his expression didn't seem as lighthearted as his laugh was. "Yeah…They're gone, anyways…"

"Guess we'll never know, then…" Kairi added, a forced smile on her face. The others were silent, watching the trio once again share an experience that they hadn't been fortunate enough to have gone through.

"It's getting kinda late, guys…" Sky muttered. "We should head home, Rose…"

Rose looked up at her friend. "You and Darren go ahead. I should wait here for Devon to get back…"

Darren shrugged. "Suit yourself…" He and Sky stood up, and, with a nod to the group, they walked off. Riku stood off just as they were reaching the path to take them back to the boarding school.

"We're not going to see Roxas and Namine again. Better not to think too much into it…" He walked off, too, in the opposite direction of Sky and Darren.

However, once he was out of earshot, Sora snorted. He walked over to the trashcan and, with a twinge of regret; he dropped his unfinished ice cream into the trash. Then, he plodded back, lay on the grass, and placed his hands behind his head as he gazed at the darkening sky. "Like he would understand…" he muttered to himself. Kairi's eyes augmented.

"Oh, you don't mean that!" Kairi exclaimed, a slight note of worry to her voice.

"Well, he doesn't! I mean, he hasn't gone through what you and I had with our Nobodies!" Sora complained, sitting up.

Bewildered, Rose asked, "What, did Riku and his Nobody not get along?"

Kairi and Sora jumped slightly, as if they had forgotten that Rose was there. They turned to her, and slowly processed what she said.

"Actually…Riku was the only one of us…Well, of us three…" Sora added, as he reminded himself of the others he had traveled with. "He was the only one who didn't have a Nobody. The darkness swallowed him, but he managed to keep his heart…"

Rose's eyes widened. She looked after the silver-haired boy, who was just disappearing out of her field of vision. "Is that why you say that?" she asked.

Kairi shrugged. "Well, I kinda agree…I know, it's a bit mean…But, you know, he's never felt like a part of him was in another person…" She rubbed the back of her head. "It's really hard to explain…But, I wish I could've known Namine better…"

Sora bowed her head. "Yeah…And Roxas, too…" He set her gaze back on Rose. "That's why Riku seems a little less open than me and Kairi on the topic…He blames the Organization for the problems in the world, and for him turning to the darkness…Almost as much as he blames the Heartless…"

The brown-haired boy stood up. "Well, not much we can do now…Come on, Kairi…We better get ho—" He stopped himself in midsentence, eyes growing large. Suddenly, they closed, and he pulled his head back, groaning. "OH GOD, summer reading!" He opened his eyes into narrow, aggravated slits. "Oh, I have less than two WEEKS to finish it…!"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "I TOLD you to start earlier in the month, but did you LISTEN? No-oo, you said, 'Oh, Kairi, I'll do it later!'" she scolded. She walked over and grabbed him by the ear, dragging him off. "Come on, bricks for brains, let's get you home and lock you in your room to read…"

"OW OW OW KAIRI! THAT HURTS A LOT!" Sora shouted, wincing as his ear was forced to take Kairi's tugging. She let go, amused, and watched Sora rubbed his ear tenderly as they walked down the path. Rose watched the entire fiasco, but her mind was elsewhere…

She looked back to the ocean, watching the waves lap onto the shore. She sat up, putting her arms around her legs, bent in against her chest. Her head rested on her knees, thoughtful. "Nobodies…Hearts…Heartless…" she muttered. The stories that Sora and his friends had told her had intrigued her a lot, and they had given her very thorough descriptions of the heart, soul, and body. She could almost tell the entire tale back to them with what she had given.

But, she was deeply interested in the Nobodies of a person. Half of a person? Nonexistence? What could that be like? She wasn't nearly brainless enough to try taking her own heart and discovering for herself. After all, how would she get back to normal? However, Roxas and Namine had faded…But, Rose couldn't help but think that they had to be somewhere…

She looked up at the sky. "A body, a soul, and a heart…" she murmured. She lay on the grass, gazing up. Sora and Kairi had talked about Roxas and Namine as if they were two completely different people, when, in reality, they were Kairi and Sora's souls in other bodies, lacking their heart…

But, what if…She couldn't figure out a good thinking position, and found herself sitting up, facial expression twisting as she thought harder. Namine and Roxas had existed when Sora and Kairi had existed, so…Could that mean that the piece of their soul that they borrowed from Sora and Kairi had developed and created a completely different existence?

And, if that were true, wasn't it also true that they could be brought back?

She groaned, falling back on the ground. She was taking this matter way to seriously. They were gone. Dead. Deceased. It wasn't like she could just wish to see them again and they'd be back…!

But Sora and Kairi seemed to really have wanted to know Roxas and Namine…And, besides, if they were to come back with feelings, they could tell everyone what it was like to be a Nobody…This fascinated Rose…

Although, the biggest question, by far, was, was it POSSIBLE to bring a Nobody back from the dead? The soul would have to be found, which Rose didn't think it was too hard…And then the heart…Well, Sora couldn't give it up, but the soul must have what she needed to make it work. Maybe she could take a heart—one not turned into a Heartless—and mold it to the soul, and alter it…It would take a lot of magic, a good deal of research, a huge risk, and some outside help, but it sounded possible…

However, the body…How could she do that? If she had the soul and heart, if put with the body, would it MAKE that person? And how was she to gain what was necessary for the human body? She had no idea how to make one, and it wasn't as though she could simply clone someone who didn't exist…

Suddenly, she felt two arms wrap around her torso, pulling her close. "Guess who missed you?" a voice coyly asked. She giggled, wriggling around in his grip.

"Devon, come on! I can't breathe!" she complained, pretending that her lungs were too constricted to draw in air. Devon smiled even brighter, and pulled away.

"Hey, Rosie, where'd everyone else go?"

"Home, Devon. Where dinner and homework waits!"

Devon groaned. Rose leaned back on her boyfriend. "I know, I know, homework is absolutely horrible, but—"

"No, it's not that! I had to ask Sora something!"

Surprised, Rose looked up, a confused look on her face. "What was it?"

"I wanted to ask if we could go steal the Gummi Ship to visit a world that's in my manga! This time, it's East City!"

Rose groaned, rolling her eyes. "AGAIN? Haven't you pestered the other world enough?"

"BUT ROSE, I NEED to talk to Ed!" Devon defended, jumping away to plead on his knees. "This one's different! I NEED to know how he does it!" He gripped her pants, pretending to be sobbing.

"Does what?"

"His alchemy!"

Rose looked into the distance, trying to think of the series name. She snapped her fingers when she thought of it. "Full Metal Alchemist? I haven't read that!"

"YOU should! It's so cool!" Devon jumped to his feet, eyes bright. "It's about this kid around our age…Maybe a bit younger. ANYWAYS, he and his brother, who's a metal suit, they can do alchemy, and Ed doesn't need a circle cuz he saw the gate, and…"

As Devon went on and on about the series, Rose rolled her eyes. Her guy had a tendency to ramble on and on for hours about something no one understands, and expects them to get a portion of the information he handed out…

"…So this guy blows things up with his hands, and the way Ed saw the gate was he wanted to bring his mom back from the dead, but he had to give up an arm and a leg, and I memorized what they needed for a human body, LISTEN! It's 35 liters of water, 20 kilograms of carbon, 4 liters of ammonia, 800 grams of—"

Rose, having zoned out before, suddenly jumped, and turned to Devon in shock. Turning around, she grabbed his shoulders and exclaimed, "Wait, that last part; about his mom!"

Confused, Devon racked his brain for what he just said. "Well, they wanted to bring their mom back, and though they had the right materials…They were missing something…So, they went to the Gate, and Al gave up his body, while Ed gave up an arm, and, later, a leg…"

"But, what happened to the mom?" Rose exclaimed. Devon took a step back, startled by Rose's sudden interest in the series.

"Well, whatever they were missing, it was, like, vital or something to the body, so they couldn't recreate it…A human transmutation is apparently almost impossible…"

"Transmutation…Make up of the body…Souls, hearts…" Rose murmured under hear breath. Slowly, a plan was formulation in her mind. A completely spontaneous, impossible plan, that was so crazy, she was sure she could do it.

"Um, Ro—" Devon tried, but was cut off as his girlfriend flung her arms around him and planted a kiss right on his lips. Pulling away, she shouted, "D, YOU ARE A GENIUS! Remind me to buy you something nice!" With that, she bolted off, back to her dorm. Confused, Devon stared after her, completely lost.

Meanwhile, Rose began to ran over the stuff she knew. _Hearts are unpredictable, but only if compared to data. Souls have never been researched, but can't be that much farther than hearts. Maybe souls and hearts are connected…If that's possible, then putting a soul and heart to the components of a body…All I need to do…_

She knew she'd need a good night's sleep tonight. She had a lot of research to do tomorrow, plus a million people to talk to, not to mention about half a dozen places to visit.

But, to see the downcast looks on Sora and Kairi's faces, not to mention seeing their surprise, would make it all worth it. And it would also satisfy a burning curiosity.

And thus, the foundation was laid.

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AND THUS A MARY-SUE SHALL BE BORN.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions. But I'll hint again: it's called the sequel for a reason.

Don't really have much else to say…

~Cat's Eye


	4. And All The Pieces

Meh. This chapter is just…Meh. I don't hate it, because it explains a lot, but I also hate it, because it's old, it explains TOO MUCH, it's badly written in certain places, Rose is DESTROYED character-wise…

But, that's just me. And I only say Rose is destroyed because I know I don't have the attention span necessary to actually do this. But that's why this is an illogical FANFICTIONS! :D

So, yeah! THINGS START TO BS YOU.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them. Either that or Disney owns them.

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Rose, and any other characters mentioned. They cannot be used without my permission.

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**CHAPTER 3: And All the Pieces**

"Sora, would anyone mind if I took the Gummi Ship for a few days?"

Sora looked up from his book—easily the worst book he had read for several months, but it was the book he had to read for summer reading, so there was little he could do about it—and gazed at Rose, eyes lined with surprise. "But, why? Where do you need to go?"

Rose put on her most serious face. She walked up to Sora and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sora, I'm going to have to ask you to trust me on this one."

Sora snorted. Burying himself back into his book, he muttered, "Last time I did that, you almost blew up Shinra. And I don't mean the company."

She pulled back, arms up in defense. "How was I supposed to know the glue would dry that fast?" Sora replied to this with a snort. Sighing, Rose leaned down and put her hands on his shoulders. Putting her head right next to his, she turned it, smiling encouragingly. He ignored it, staring blankly down at his book.

"Come on, Sora! Please? It's…" She thought for a moment. Then, she felt as though a light bulb had appeared above his head. "It's for a surprise party!"

Sora lifted his head, a thoughtful expression on his face. Rose gave herself a mental pat on the back. _Hook, line, and sinker._

"Who for?"

"Cloud."

"Why."

"For being emo."

"When."

"Day before school."

Sora gave her a sideways glance, no smile on his face, but a mischievous look in his eyes. "I'm invited?"

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"Will there be fruit punch?"

"Wouldn't be a party without it."

Sora paused for a moment. Then, looking back down at his book, he muttered, "Fine…" He squinted as he tried to find where he was. "Just let me finish this book…"

"YES!" Rose exclaimed. She threw her arms around the brunette, startling him. "GAK! ROSE! CAN'T. BREATHE…!" he gagged, smiling. Rose leapt off of him and bolted off to the garage, where they kept the ship. "THANK YOU!"  
Sora smiled, watching her basically fly through the door. Snickering, he went back to his book, which he had been reading for several days now.

"PAGE 3." After a pause, he added, "Hundred and four."

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He sighed, leaning back on the couch. Wincing, he sat up, lifting up his behind, and shifted his hand across it. Grasping a mysterious object, he tugged it out, letting out a small groan of pain. He put it up to his face. It was a spring. Tossing it over his shoulder, he silently cursed Merlin. "He can turn people into animals, make dishes clean themselves, and manage to put too much sugar in Cid's tea every single day, and yet he can't even fix a broken-down couch…"

He stood up, walking to the window. The lighting was striking the glass at the angle necessary for him to see a blurred, transparent reflection of himself; deep brown hair, reaching just over his shoulders, sticking out unevenly. A scar crossing between his blue eyes and down his nose. A leather, short-sleeved half-jacket. Black pants, and black boots.

He stared out the window, watching the sun set over the tops of the building, soon to disappear from his sight. It was quiet in the house…

"HEY, SQUALL!"

Not for long.

He turned to see an all-too-familiar dirty blonde skipping through the doorway, green eyes wide and bright. Today, she wore a forest green, long-sleeved shirt, with thin straps wrapping around her shoulders. A bow tied around her back, made of a green string. Two red hearts were on the upper right corner of the shirt. She also wore a short purple skirt, and socks that went up to her knees. Her shoes were black as the scarf that she wrapped around her neck.

The older teen sighed, aggravated. "Leon, please…"

"Nope! That's NOT your name!" she exclaimed back. He groaned. Rose was okay to hang out with if he was in a crowd of people, but one-on-one time had never been his strong area…

"Alright, Rose, what is it now?"

"Actually, I have something I need to do, but I need access to Ansem's old reports, and his research! Could you help me with that?"

Leon looked down at the girl, surprised at the request. She didn't want to give him a giant hug? She didn't want to drag him to the movies? She didn't want to show him some pointless YouTube videos? No books to share, no outfit to try…Just some old research?

"Um…Sure…" he muttered, still unsure about how to react. He walked over to the door. He walked out it, then turned back. "The computer it's stored on is a little ways away from here…Got your weapon?"  
"Uh-Huh! Sora taught me how to summon it, and Donald's teaching me some spells!" With that, the dirty blonde summoned a Keyblade-looking blade, but it was not, indeed, a Keyblade. It had a large rose pattern where Sora's kingdom crown would be, at the edge of a lilac pole. The petals varied from black, roes, red, lilac, and violet. Three bright green bands surrounded the blade just before it reached the handle, which was a silver rose. The handle itself was red, with a black chain hanging off of it. At the end of the chain, there was a rose-colored heart with a white light shining in the middle.

Leon shrugged. "Bit too out-there for my tastes, but it'll do, I guess…" He pulled out his own gun-blade from its cover, and got it ready. "Alright…Let's head out…"

After a few quick fights with Heartless, traveling through the paths Leon knew by heart, they reached Ansem's old lab. Leon opened the door to get to the computer room.

"And there it is…" Leon announced as they stepped in the room. He spread his arms wide, in a gesture that this room was all that was at the end of their trail.

Rose clapped her hands together. "Right, I better get to work!" With that, she grabbed her backpack off her back—a dark blue one that Leon had failed to notice before—and pulled out two notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, white-out, four-colored pens, books…Pretty soon, she set up her own office by the computer. Then with a click, she was off, typing in random codes and staring at the screen, taking notes on the occasion. Leon tried to follow what she was reading, but she clicked from tab to tab so quickly, he didn't bother keeping up. Leaning over, he looked over her shoulder to see if he could decipher her notes, but the messy scrawl all over her pages was only legible to her.

"Um…Is there anything else you need…?" he asked hesitantly.

Without looking up from her research, she muttered, "No, this is good…I got water and food with me, and if I need anything else, I know how to get back to the house…"

Leon paused, then added, "I gotta go do a patrol around town…If you need any help finding a file, the computer connects to the Space Paranoids…" He pointed behind him, indicating the complicated piece of colorful machinery behind him. "Just enter the code, "SP Transport Terminal 4" and stand near the red machine. It'll take you there. Tron can show you how to get out, and recover whatever you need."

Rose spun around so abruptly that it caused Leon to jump. She stared at the red circle for only a second before whipping around again and typing rapidly on the computer. God, she was giving Cid a run for his money…! "Right, thanks…I might need to ask him a bit more about Ansem's attempts to turn hearts into data…" she muttered.

Leon leaned back, surprised at the serious note in Rose's tone. "Er…Right…Well…" With this, he began to head for the door, but paused at the doorway. He turned back, staring back at Rose. Still typing, she asked, "Need something, Leon?"

"…It's just…It's weird to see you so serious and reserved…" he muttered. He looked away, eyes closing. "It's just a little bit stra—!" He was cut off as two arms attached to a slim torso wrapped themselves around Leon's waist, piling into him so fast; he was forced to take a step back. His head whipped forward, looking down with immense eyes.

"Oh, Squall, I didn't know you cared that much!" she mewed, an ecstatic smile on her face. Without another word, she jumped off of him, bolted back to the computer, almost flew over the chair jumping on it, and continued typing. For a moment, Leon simply stood there, gaping in amazement. Then, his expression turned back to its old nonchalant expression. He snorted in amusement, then turned around.

"It's Leon…" he muttered as he left.

"Love you, too!"

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And she came back the next day.

And the day after that.

And for several more days.

One morning, Leon walked in to find that Rose had gotten there several hours before him, in the middle of the night, compelled by a sudden streak of brilliance. Not wanting to disturb her, he left. Several hours later, he walked in to find her dozing on top of the computer. "Rose, that's a priceless piece of equipment, don't drool all over it…!" he groaned. He briskly walked over and lifted her off the chair. He walked to the other room and placed her on the couch in there. He had set it up there as he noticed Rose coming back for several days, studying for hours, only to take breaks at meal times, bathroom breaks, and to make phone calls. It was her 5th day here, and, out of those five days, today was the only day she had dosed off. Once she was comfortably on the couch, he walked into the other room to see if there was anything he could do to clean it up.

Well, she was hyper-active, vivacious, and all over the place with her personality, but she managed to keep everything organized in a way at least she could understand…Short stacks of paper covered the stools she had dragged, one by one, from the other room. Her note books were open to random pages, where there were several notes, and a couple of equations, some circled in red with a question mark near them. Next to some of the notes, written in blue, was some more scribbling, obviously the answer to her question, most likely given to her by Tron. He glanced down at a piece of paper. Sketched on it was a boy he had never seen before, with spiked hair, swirled up to the right. He lay on the paper, eyes closed, a strange outfit on it; giant, boxed shoes, a checkered pattern on his half-jacket, a dark undershirt, light-colored pants…_Who's this?_ Several notes were jotted around him, but Leon couldn't find a name._ He seems familiar…_

Before he could get a clue on what she was doing, he heard the pounding of feet. He turned around to see Rose turning the corner of the doorway, wide awake. "Get what you need?"

She smiled brightly. "All that and a bag of chips!" She jumped over to the papers and, in 10 short minutes, everything was sorted in folders and binders, and all shoved into her backpack. "I might come back here a few more times to talk to Tron or look up a spare fact, but I think I'm done here!"

She straightened up, and exclaimed, "Thanks for the help, Squall!" Before he could protest, she grabbed his right hand with her right hand, shaking it up and down. Then, she proceeded to skip to the door. Before she could leave, Leon called, "Wait, Rose!"

She paused, turning back at him, puzzled. "What on earth are you doing?"

She smirked at him. Putting a finger up to her lips, she muttered, "Just don't tell Cloud!" Then, she was out the door. Leon stared after her. He scratched his head. Then, he walked out the door to head home, muttering, "She's crazy…"

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"Why would you want to go to the dark corridors?"

"Well, I wanted to learn a bit more about hearts and souls, and I figured, if I travel long enough, I could find a portal that'll lead to some!"

"Rose, you could travel forever without finding anything like that! It took me almost a MONTH before I saw a heart in there!"

"So, you could tell me how to find them easier?"

This caused the silver-haired teen to pause. He sighed, exasperated. The blonde sure was persistent, and wasn't about to take 'No' for an answer.

"Why do you need to find them now?" he asked.

"Ri-ku, I told you, it's a SECRET present surprise extravaganza for Cloud's party!"

He rolled his aqua eyes. "Oh, really. And I'm the sugar plum fairy." He highly doubted that anything in the dark corridors could be used for a party. Heck, he doubted that Rose even had a party in mind!

Green eyes glared at him. "Look, believe it or not, it's the story I'm giving you, and I researched this for 5 STRAIGHT DAYS. I'm not walking away until YOU tell me how to get through the dark corridors!"

He stared down at her, surprised that she had the attention span to research a single topic for that long. He paused for a while. It would be dangerous to take her through the corridors, but if he didn't help her now, she'd probably find some other way to do it by herself. That would probably be even more dangerous, and the chances of her losing her heart to the darkness would increase. And he wouldn't put it past the dirty blonde to get lost in the corridors by herself. At least if she traveled with him, he could guide her around, and judge how long she could stay in the darkness…

He sighed. "You can't spend more than ten minutes in there at a time. You have a relatively strong heart, but not strong enough to stay in there forever. And when you get out, don't go out for at least 3 hours. Drink lots of water, have a square of chocolate, and stay in the light as much as possible. If you start feeling dizzy for more than 5 minutes, or feel either strange pains or a draining feeling in your torso, go straight to one of the Seven Princesses of light. Their purity should neutralize the darkness after about a half hour…"

Rose nodded, paying such close attention that she grabbed a pad and a pen out of her backpack, jotting down notes. Riku stared at her, bewildered again. "Wow, you're REALLY paying attention…"

"I'm not too fond of dying, or being swallowed by darkness, Riku…" A snort was the only response to this. She set her pad down, though the pen was still ready in her hand. "So, how long might it take for you to show me the way through the dark corridors?"

Riku paused, thinking. At first, he reconsidered whether this was a wise idea. He had rarely taken anyone through the dark corridors he himself had walked…And what could Rose possibly need that was in there?

Then again, Rose had always been a very quirky kid; the more he got to know her, the less he felt he understood. Yet, somehow, he put up with her, and, if they were careful, everything should be fine.

He then considered how long it would take. "Well, it'll take at least several hours in the corridors for you to comprehend them…Plus the three hour break between each 10 minute visit…" He looked down at her, waiting for her disappointment. "It could take several days, and, if we work into them, nights…"

However, her face brightened at the prospect of being taught by Riku. "Okay! That sounds…" She paused, frowning. She counted on her fingers, a thoughtful look on her face. She brightened again, smiling. "Reasonable!"

"Um…Okay…And, it might not take too long…If you expose your heart to the corridors for long enough without giving in, you might be able to resist it longer, and spend more than ten-minute periods in darkness…Though I wouldn't try it…!" he added, knowing the headstrong blonde all-too-well.

She nodded vigorously. Riku held out a hand and opened a portal. Since the Organization had ended, he had found that the tunnels only opened up to the darkness in his heart. "I don't know if you have any darkness in your heart…Since you're not a Princess of Light, you probably do. Plus, the way you act…" he added friskily, smirking. Rose snorted. "Well, my point is, I might be able to teach you to get into the portals yourself…Maybe…"

"Eh, whatever. I like spending time with you!" Rose smiled, pretending to flirt. She trotted to the corridor. Riku's eyes widened. He threw out an arm.

"Rose, wait…"

Rose paused, bewildered for a moment. Riku gave her a hard, searching look. "What ARE you doing…?" he asked. "I mean, 5 days of research, interest in the darkness, the knowledge of hearts and souls you have…" He was still on the fence about letting her through, and all of the secrets she was hiding made him suspicious.

She narrowed her eyes. "I told you—!"

"I'm not letting you through the portals until you tell me…" he said flatly. The portal wavered, threatening to fade away, as though to back up his statement.

Rose stared back up at him, a hint of frustration in her eyes. Then, she sighed. "Great. Now, YOU have to know, too…" She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "What I'm going to tell you, only three other people will learn, and that one already knows, and has sworn to secrecy." Her voice suddenly turned cold. "You are NOT to tell anyone before it is finished. It's a secret, but not a bad one. It would just be rather chaotic if it got out…"

Riku stepped back, surprised at the serious tone and the icy glare. "Um…Look, I promise not to tell anyone…I just want to know…"

Rose hesitated, then sighed. "Fine…" She looked up at him. "Don't freak out, but…

"I'm trying to bring Roxas and Namine back from the darkness…"

He freaked out.

Riku's mouth flew open, his eyes bursting out from beneath his too-long, silver bangs. He let out a wheeze of shock, taking several moments before trying to get words out. Bring them back…Bring them back? Even in this day and age of magic and science, the dead were DEAD. Their bodies decomposed, their hearts lost, their souls forgotten…! Years from now, CENTURIES from now, the dead would be dead! Even Rose—boneheaded as she could be, dense as she was, bold as she was—wasn't she smart enough to know that it was impossible? Of all the stupid things she had ever tried to explain to him, of all her hair-brained plans, this was the most moronic…The most idiotic, stupid, horrific…

And what was scarier was that she was completely serious.

"Bringing people…back from the dead?" he exclaimed, temper rising. Rose jumped, eyes widening.

"Riku, they aren't DEAD! Nobodies don't DIE! Didn't you read ANY of Ansem's research?"

"He never needed me to, even when I worked under him!" he snapped, though his temper lowered. From the looks of it, Rose had given a lot of thought to this. He should at least listen to her defense and see if it was valid.

Rose pointed to her backpack. "I'm not dumb, Riku. Feel this backpack?"

Riku took the backpack from her hand, only to find that gravity pulled down on it with more force than he had anticipated. He ended up on the ground; legs crouched beneath him, one hand clinging to the bag, the other supporting himself on the ground. With a groan of effort, he managed to stand up, and found, though the backpack wasn't more than he could manage, (to be weaker than a GIRL! Imagine!) it was certainly more than he had anticipated. He handed it back to Rose, who braced her arm before taking it, obviously prepared for the weight. She quickly slung it over her shoulder with a small grunt.

"I've researched my ass off day and night to make sure that there aren't any flaws in the plan, and I'm talking to pretty much everyone who can help me. Tron's been up day and night looking for equations, I'm gonna talk to Cid, Donald, Minnie…And I'm not doing it JUST like Ansem did it. He knew a lot about hearts and souls, but he compared it too much to data."

"Yeah, that's why he's gone…" It was common knowledge that Ansem's false assumptions had lead to his demise.

"Well, he forgot about a few other factors." She raised a hand to count fingers. "First, it does take a lot of data. It also takes modern technology, and sciences. But, it also will take certain materials…" She counted down four fingers. "Not to mention magic…" Her thumb jutted outward. "And a bit of alchemy…" The pointer finger on her opposite hand struck up. She lifted her hands to show six fingers, staring intently at Riku's face. "With those six things, a bit of help, and determination, I'm pretty sure it can be done."

Riku was silent for a moment. He sighed, putting his head in his hand, fingering through his silver bangs. "Rose, it's impossible…" He lifted his head before she could protest. "But, let's say, somehow, you pull this off…How?"

She brightened slightly at his willingness to listen to her plans. "Like I said, Nobodies don't die. That much, Ansem managed to come up with. The body is gone, true, but since it is technically made out of nothing, instead of decomposing, it turns into darkness, and the heart and soul are left behind."

"No, just the soul…For Sora and Kairi, only the soul would be left behind."

"I have a theory, actually, and, actually, if it isn't right, then entire project will collapse…"

"And it is…?"

Rose snorted. "Riku, I'd LOVE to go through every single little detail of my plan, but I also actually need to get the plan GOING, so, the less time I spend on explanations, the faster we can get into the corridors."

Riku frowned, crossing his arms. He hesitated, glaring at Rose. He didn't like all the secrecy…

But, then again, he had kept his fair share of secrets for years from people. Everyone should be entitled to keep their own secrets, sharing them as they will. Besides, at least Rose was giving him the reason why she was so interested in the corridors, even if she was leaving a few holes here and there.

He uncrossed his arms. "Alright, what else can you tell me?"

"Well, once I have the heart and soul, if I can combine them with the materials of a body, an article of clothing or a hair from the faded, and a good deal of data…Plus, if I use magic and alchemy, it's actually pretty possible, Riku!" she exclaimed, smiling again. She closed her eyes, cocking her head to one side in enthusiasm.

"But, wait, doesn't alchemy take energy away from somewhere? What if we harm another universe?" Riku had limited knowledge on alchemy, but knew enough to know that the other worlds might be ill effected by the usage of the science.

Rose opened her eyes, excitement lining them. "I'll use electricity so I can pull it off without DESTROYING THE BALANCE OF NATURE!" she exclaimed, joking the last bit out with vivid hand motions. Riku managed a chuckle. Whether she succeeded or not, Rose sure was eager to get this project going.

"And, let me guess, Devon recited all of the body components from memory."

"And you all wonder why I love him so much!"

Riku snorted, a small smirk on his face. "But, do you honestly think you can pull it off alone?"

"No…" Rose muttered bluntly, frowning. Riku's smirk disappeared. "That's where you come in, plus Cid, Donald, Minnie, Tron, and Edward Elric!"

"But, what will you say to Ed? He's not just about to let you attempt bringing a human back to life."

Rose smiled, a deceptive look on her face. "Just that I've always been interested in alchemy, and that I wanted to learn more…"

Riku laughed. "You manipulative little fiend…"

"I KNOW!"

"And what about the article of clothing or hair?"

Rose smirked. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two small bag. Riku's eyes widened. Inside one was a few strands of golden blonde hair. The other contained strands of pale blonde hair, almost white.

"I don't even understand how they left hair behind, but, apparently, no one bothered to clean out Roxas's room in the fake Twilight Town, or the mansion where Namine lived!"

Riku's eyes widened further. "So you really think that, with all this, you can do it?"

"I just didn't like seeing Sora and Kairi with such sad faces…Plus, I wanna know Roxas and Namine more!"

Riku stared at her. He looked at the corridor, lost in thought. Pulling back not one nonexistence, but two, back from the darkness…It sounded impossible…And what of their memories? How could both Roxas and Namine be alive and not share Sora and Kairi's memories?

"What about their memories?"

"Well…" Rose paused, staring at the ground. Her eyes looked sad, and slightly scared. "I may have to place them in the fake Twilight Town, and alter the data there, to alter the real Twilight Town…I have no idea if I can rewrite the past…"

After all this talk of resurrecting the dead, Riku only felt a little surprise at Rose's claim to have figured out how to rewrite the past. Instead of getting worked up over it, Riku felt a twinge of sympathy pull at his heart, and a small hint of surprise at sensing the fear within the green-eyed girl. Rose's early confidence had suddenly vanished. He stepped over to Rose and wrapped an arm around her. She cuddled into his chest, feeling secure and slightly more reassured.

"So the fake Twilight Town DOES effect the real one?"

"Ansem didn't realize that, in creating a fake Twilight Town, he accidently tied it too closely to the real one. If one wanted to change the history, to change the past…It's not impossible. I actually saw it in one of his reports…"

Riku pulled away. "What?"

"Well, Ansem wrote that, originally, the Struggle tournament used real weapons, but changed it to Struggle bats…" she murmured. "And now, the real one uses Struggle bats…"

"Oh, my god…" Riku gasp, pulling back. Rose looked up.

"With Tron's help, I want to try to rewrite Roxas and Namine into the past…Hopefully, their hearts and souls can help."

"But, Ansem altering an entire WORLD…With his research and data…"

"He was a wise and powerful man. Even as I talk about bringing those two back, I can't even IMAGINE creating a whole new world…" She shook her head, trying to clear her negative thoughts. "But, regardless, that's all I have to rewrite their memories…It's not like it's even that hard. Punch a few keys, make a few sentences, and the system does the rest. They'll have all of their memories from their time with the Organization, and, in Namine's case, with you and Ansem, too. But, I have to rewrite everything before that…"

"And how are they related to Sora and Kairi…? I mean, if they were half of them, they must be connected somehow…"

"Possibly half brother and sister? Full brother and sister? I don't really know. I don't know if I can actually give them separate memories…Despite all I've said…if they didn't have living Somebodies, it would be so much easier…!"

"But they do."

She looked at Riku. He pulled his arm up, and she stepped back. "Look, I know it seems impossible, and I'm still not sure if I can pull it off…I'm daunted by what could go wrong, and if I make a wrong move, I could really hurt someone. Not to mention that I honestly don't know if I can give them memories and make those memories real." She looked up, the determination replacing the fear in her eyes. "But, I'm still going to try."

Riku stared down at her bright green eyes, recognizing that headstrong look. It was the look Sora gave him every time they had sparred on the beach, even today, with their wooden swords. Riku knew back then that he'd be beat by Sora someday—and, recently, he had lost his fair share of times to the well-trained brunette. He knew that, even if he lost time and time again, he'd keep trying until he managed to reach his goal…He smiled. _Impossible as it seems…Daunting as the task may be…And life-changing as it can be…If Rose is the one pulling the strings, maybe she can pull it off…She's just that crazy!_

"Rose, you and I both know this is an almost impossible thing to do, if not impossible. And I'm not convinced completely that you can pull this off…"

Rose looked down at her shoes, crestfallen. Riku smiled. "But, I'll help and do what I can. Who am I to get in the way of a dream?"

Rose looked up, eyes widening, a vivacious grin stretching across her face. She jumped up and hugged the taller boy, exclaimed, "THANK YOU, RIKU, You are AWESOME!" Riku laughed, wrapping his arms around Rose. He looked back to the portal. Releasing the girl, he looked down at her, observing the blazing look on her face.

"Ready?"

"I've been ready for the past few DAYS, Riku, let's just GO!"

And so, he stepped into the darkness, followed cautiously by Rose. She looked around, and could seen nothing but black. The moment she was completely in, she felt a cold hand grip her heart. Gasping, she put her foot back outside the portal to loosen the grip. Riku whipped around, staring at her.

"Rose?" he exclaimed, suddenly wondering if his decision was a smart one.

Rose took a few deep breaths, and slowly pulled her foot back in. She shook herself for a moment, trying to get used to the cold, gripping feeling on her heart, which had intensified as she placed her foot in darkness. "I…I-I'm okay…Just a little scared…" Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence, voicing her fear. Riku walked over to her and took her hand, gripping it firmly.

"Do you wanna get out…?"

"No…Just…Just don't let go…" Her eyes searched for any source of light in the deep abyss, but the only light came from the portal, which disappeared quickly. She could see Riku rather clearly, but there seemed to be only a blank, black space in front of her.

"Alright, I'm going to start walking…If you start to feel funny, just tell me, and we can be out of here in seconds…" He looked forward and led Rose down the corridor. "There are several paths to the darkness. Your eyes will adjust after a few visits to see the paths, and eventually, you'll see the different rooms…"

Rose nodded, releasing Riku's hand to write on her pad. She kept shaking, afraid of the darkness and the cold grip on her heart. Even Riku's grip—which had shifted to her bicep, seeing as her hand was busy—didn't console her. Still, she drove herself onward, trying not to fear the darkness around her.

"Don't worry, Rose… The one good thing about these corridors is that they have no Heartless or Nobodies." He kept walking. "The rooms here lead to different worlds. The ones leading to different worlds are marked by a symbol, but you won't be able to see it for a while." He looked back at her. "It took about a month, but it was because I was…honestly, I was a bit scared, not to mention on my own…If we work faster, you might become more accustomed…"

Rose jotted down her notes, but her hand was beginning to shake too much for her to write. "H-How long has it been…?" she asked, voice timid. She stared blankly at her notepad, trying to mask her unmistakable terror. Riku looked down at his watch.

"About 3 minutes…" It was quiet for a bit. And, after that bit, Rose had reached her limit.

"R-R-R-Riku…C-Can we leave NOW?" she exclaimed, squeaking out the last part. Her fear was getting the better of her. Without missing a beat, Riku opened a new portal. He dragged Rose out of it, whose muscles tensed as though she just wanted to make a run for it. However, she managed to compose herself until she got out. Then, she collapsed on the floor, a few tears slipping out of her eyes. She gasped for breath, staring down at her pad. Riku, unsure of what to do, knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder. "Shh…Take your time…We can try again later…"

Roes coughed a few times, as though the darkness was choking her. After a few moments, the tears stopped flowing, and though the shaking didn't stop, it subdued. Riku tapped her on the shoulder. "Can you stand…?"

Slowly, she nodded, managing to control her hysterical breath. He stood her up, aware of her shaking. "My dorm isn't far from here…We can stay there for a bit…" He held out a hand. "Can you walk?"

Rose took his hand, still shaking. "I…I think…" she muttered.

"Come on, let's go…" Riku murmured. He started walking, forced to slow down as Rose's steps became smaller and strained, the shaking taking her strength. The dirty blonde's trembling was to the point where she could barely walk. Riku stopped her and crouched on the ground.

"Here, you're shaking like a leaf. I'll carry you…" It was a bit odd for him to offer this, but Rose was his friends. Friends support friends when support is needed, one way or another. Today, Riku's way was to give Rose a lift to his place.

Rose nodded, too startled to object. She gently climbed on his back, resting her head in his silver hair. "K-Kairi and D-Devon will get jealous…" she murmured, without smiling.

Riku laughed, blushing lightly at the mention of Kairi. It wasn't any better that Rose had mentioned the red-head getting jealous. "Hehe, well…We're friends, right? Friends help out friends…" He was glad that she still had a small sense of humor. She'd be okay after a bit.

"Riku, I was only scared…After a few minutes can we try going back?" she whispered, her voice small.

Riku paused, looking back at Rose. She had stopped shaking, since she didn't have to stand on her own, but still looked extremely spooked, despite her determined words. "Let's wait a few minutes…Then we'll talk…"

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They got to Riku's dorm in a few minutes—a room that was organized yet a bit messy, with magazines, clothing, and such thrown around randomly, though most things seemed to be in place. As he turned on several lights, got her a glass of water, and a small bar of chocolate, he began to explain the rest of the corridors to Rose, eying her carefully.

Her reaction had startled him. He had taken Sora to the corridors before, if only to satisfy his friend's curiosity, but, having been there before, he wasn't really scared. In fact, he ambled around randomly, bumping into the invisible walls, straying from the path, stumbling into rooms…Being an idiot, but a bold, unafraid idiot at that. But even though Rose had encountered the darkness several times, she was that astounded after only three minutes. Maybe it was the strength of the light in their hearts. Sora's heart resisted well enough to the darkness that he could be in the corridor for quite some time and not be in danger. He wondered how sensitive Rose's heart was to the darkness.

But, regardless, the old light reappeared in her eyes, and her shaky hand calmed to allow her to jot down notes, flipping over a first page, then a second, and was in the middle of her third when Riku stopped his lecture. And afterwards, she jotted down a few things she had missed, filling up the rest of the third page with what she could remember having not written down.

"That's just about all I know. I can help you find the hearts, and the room with the strange lights that you think are souls…But, that's just about it."

Rose nodded, smiling. "Sorry about the spook…" she muttered sheepishly, looking away. "I forgot how afraid I am of the dark…"

Riku looked up at her, surprised. "You are?" Was that the reason? She seemed so incautious at times (though this wasn't one of them) that it appeared that she had absolutely no fears. He could understand her being afraid of bugs, of being in a crowd, even her slight fear of firearms, but she seemed fine in the dark…After all, she had gone to many sleepovers, and had never once seemed scared…

Rose gave him a look. "Ever notice how I'd never stay in a room without a small light at night?"  
He paused, looking back at the times she had come to slumber parties with him and his other friends. Come to think of it, she didn't stay in rooms cloaked by darkness. She always needed a night light in the corner…

"I've gotten better from what I was originally…I used to be so scared, I couldn't go on sleepovers, or I'd start crying in the middle of the night. Needless to say, I ended up going home often on sleepovers…" She looked down. "I'm just a little scared at what could be in the dark, even though I know nothing's there…"

Well, that explained her sudden fear. It wasn't the darkness taking her heart; it was the darkness itself.

"Well, you faced your fears…And everyone has to do that every once in a while. We wouldn't be here if we didn't face our fears!" Riku encouraged, smiling. She returned it. He opened his eyes to observe her. She didn't seem too upset anymore, and he didn't sense any extra darkness in her soul, or anything that hinted that she might be susceptible to giving into the darkness. "You look alright…Wanna wait a few more minutes, or are you ready to go back to the dark corridors?"

Rose hesitated, a small light of fear returning to her eyes. Right when Riku thought she'd ask to have a few more minutes, she nodded. "I guess."

Riku stood up and summoned another portal. He looked back at Rose. "Ready?"

"Wait! You promise not to tell anyone, right?" Of all the things for her to worry about at that moment…Still, Riku put his foot into the darkness, feeling the cool grip grab his leg. After feeling who it was, however, it pulled away, knowing that he wouldn't give in to the darkness again. "I promise…Especially not Sora and Kairi." He looked back at her. "That's who it's for, right?"

"No, it's for someone else who has Roxas and Namine as Nobodies."

Riku snickered in amusement. He walked into the portal. Sucking in a breath, Rose followed.

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She and Riku patrolled the corridors several times, taking breaks each time. Rose managed to increase her time from three minutes to five, then up to eight, then all the way to ten. Riku also thought that two hours of waiting between each visit would be enough, though he kept a close eye on Rose. They spent the rest of the day together, pausing for lunch, and meeting up with friends for a few hours, though tried not to arouse suspicion with their comings and goings. Kairi didn't notice the sudden interest that Riku had in Rose, and though Devon complained that he wasn't seeing enough of Rose, he dismissed it quickly when she asked more about Full Metal Alchemist. "He's so simple minded…Sometimes, I wonder why I fell for him…" she remarked to Riku at one point.

Slowly, she came to trust the darkness to an extent, and managed to make out the paths and portals. Riku showed her the different pathways the darkness had, explaining the symbols for the rooms, and taking her through a few of the doors, showing her several worlds she had gone to, plus two she had never seen before. They spent a few hours in some worlds, to let Rose rest. At one point, she fainted in the darkness, and Riku increased the waiting time to three hours that time, and brought her to Kairi, telling her she hadn't slept in a while and was going to be taking a nap at her place. When Rose awoke, though, the two claimed they had to go home, only to go back to Riku's place to crash for a few more minutes.

"You know Rose," Riku remarked on the way back. "If anyone other than you came up with me with this crazy idea, I wouldn't have thought twice about helping…But you're so insane that I think you might be able to pull it off…"

Rose snorted. "Geeze, I could almost take that as a compliment…"

"Isn't it supposed to be a compliment?"

"Well, you said it like an insult!"

It _did_ take several days, though they only worked through one night, taking 3 hour sleeping breaks, getting about 9 hours, which was more than Rose got on a regular basis, and this made her a bit cranky in the morning. Riku decided it was best to work late and THEN go to bed. This way Rose could wake up when she woke up, reviewed her notes, and let Riku sleep in (the snoozer that he was) while she worked. She visited Tron at one point to fix a few equations, and needed to contact Cid to ask for equipment. The older man grudgingly gave in to her begging, only after she promised to get Tron to fix a virus on her computer, to help him repair a damaged helicopter, and to do a few errands for him. She did them, and noted to herself to put less sugar in his tea next time she made it…_I think that's why he doesn't like me very much…_

However, he agreed, and promised not to tell, which made Rose hopeful for a friendship, though she didn't push for a hug. She vowed to one day get him to hug her on his own free will. Just not today. She admitted, however, that it could take several years, and looked more impossible than the project she had on hand.

Eventually, she learned her way through, though she got lost every once in a while, and had to exit through several portals before finding a familiar world. She managed to summon a portal on her own, though Riku didn't let her travel alone until several trips afterwards, keeping an eye on the darkness levels in her heart. It had risen slightly since her first entrance in the corridors, and though it started to melt down back to the original, he encouraged Rose not to use the portals for several days after her expeditions were finished.

"Don't worry, I just need to find the heart and soul rooms…" she explained, though she stayed out of the corridors for an extra hour, questioning Riku about the darkness in her heart every once in a while. (She herself couldn't sense it.)

Four days after she had first question Riku, he finally declared, "Alright, I think you can go on your own for now…" He sighed. "You make me nervous, doing this…"

"Aw, I knew you loved me!"

"Well, that, and if Devon knew I led you to your death, I'd be breathing through a tube…!"

Rose laughed. She gave Riku a hug. "Thanks for everything…" Looking up at him, her eyes grew worried. "Is the darkness too high?"

Riku grunted in amusement. "Never thought you'd be the cautious one…"

Rose shrugged. "When it comes to life-or-death, I'd rather be alive…And, I can't finish the project if I'm dead, can I?"

Riku gave her a look. Rose stared at him, confused for a moment. Then, it hit her. "Oh, and I guess everyone would miss me too…" she giggled. Riku snorted. He searched for the darkness in her soul. His eyes widened.

"Oh my god…!" he exclaimed, face horrified. Rose jumped, staring up at him, skin paling.

"W-What? She stuttered in distress. Riku started snickering, letting the fake fear slide off his face.

"You totally fell for that…!"

"RIKU!" she shrieked, socking him in the arm, causing him to laugh even more.

"No, it's pretty average…A bit higher than usual, but your contact with the darkness probably just caused that…" He stood up straighter, the smile disappearing, but a twinkle of mischief still in his eyes. "You probably should take a break from the darkness…About half a day…But don't cut yourself off completely, since you don't want the resistance you've built up to fade."

Rose nodded. "I was planning to hang with my neglected Devon for the day, take a trip before I go to bed, then continue going…"

"Remember, you can only stay for 15 minutes…Your resistance isn't high enough where you can come and go as you please, like I can…" he added, a little bit of bitter pride in his voice. Though he appreciated his ability to wield the darkness without succumbing to it, he couldn't help but think what it had taken to have gotten this far…

The sour thoughts left him quickly. "Alright, well, you'd better go and flirt with Kairi, or she'll begin to think you're cheating on her!" Rose exclaimed, bolting off. Riku felt his face heat up slightly.

"HEY!" he shouted angrily, balling his fists. She responded with a laugh, and continued down the path, running to Devon's dorm. He shook his head. Rose had inserted himself into his life at random, and though he knew that she was almost like a sister to her, there were times where he couldn't stand her…

He began to walk back to his dorm, alone, for the first time several days. Though it struck him that it felt a little odd to be alone, he didn't feel forlorn.

The pieces began to place themselves along the edges, waiting to be arranged.

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Rose's interactions with the other characters is a little…meh-ish.

For Sora, I guess I can let it pass. He's pretty trusting, and would totally fall for anything if there was some sort of get-together involved.

Squall's…Yeah. I've heard people say his name is Leon, it's Squall, no, it's Leon, no, it's SQUALL…I just go by the Kingdom Hearts version, since I'm too lame to play Final Fantasy. I don't see him being THAT trusting, but I excuse it because…Well, I dunno. Maybe he's just known her long enough?

Riku's…Is…Yeah, this is the reason I don't like this chapter. Too much Riku-Rose stuff…but, to get to the point I know EVERYONE wants to see (AND A HUGE PLOT TWISTS), you and I both have to suffer through this…So, yeah. At least I KINDA like it…

BUT I'll stop trying to justify this piece of crap and let YOU decide! :D

Just a few last things: Rose really is afraid of the dark. And those are my stupid theories. Riku acts too friendly to Rose, now that I look back at it. My memory theory isn't making much sense anymore…Then again, this is Kingdom Hearts, so…And there are bits and pieces of the chapter I don't feel are necessary…

That's all I can think of…The only reason I like this story, actually, is that the chapters are longer...

Oh, and the holiday's are almost over! I hope to finish my fanfiction, start that other one, and actually start diligently posting! ^^

**But I won't be updating till January, so, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!**

~Cat's Eye


	5. Fall Into Place

I'm sorry this is late! D: Time got away from me on Sunday, and well…

So, where were we? –looks- Oh, yeah, Riku and Rose's bromance! XD

So, now what will Rose do? O3O

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them. Either that or Disney owns them.

I also don't own Full Metal Alchemist, though it is references a lot in this story…

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Rose and Devon. Any of the mentioned cannot be used without my permission.

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**CHAPTER 4: Fall Into Place**

Rose took a deep breath. She wasn't afraid. She wouldn't panic. She went last night for a few minutes just fine. She had a good night's sleep to prepare her for this.

"Okay, Rose…15 minutes…Find the souls…" She opened a portal. It took her several tries, clumsily throwing out her arm and summoning the darkness until she managed to get the portal to open. She sighed. _Well, one thing's for sure. I'll never be as good as Riku…_

She stepped cautiously in, feeling the shadows try to take a hold of her heart. It had weakened over time, but the cold claw-like sensation still sent chills down her spine. Still, as her eyes adjusted, she felt only a fraction of the fear she had felt before, and managed to see the path in the darkness; a small, purple-pebbled path that ran into the darkness. She was used to only being able to see 10 meters away from herself, and started walking down the path, looking for the soul corridor. Along the way, she past by portals that would take her to Feudal Japan, Radiant Garden, Agrabah, and several rooms with hearts…She had checked the rooms before, but the hearts there didn't seem like they were moldable. It was the soul, or nothing.

Finally, she found a small, deep navy oval, like so many other navy ovals around it. The only difference was that this one glowed slightly at the edges, many different colors at once. It had a small, wave symbol on it, flashing many colors slowly. "Here we are…" she muttered for herself. She opened the portal and stepped through.

She had seen the souls before, but now, she was trying to find something; two weaker ones, though their strength might be able to be recovered. She wandered around, trying to find them. She had spoken to Queen Minnie and Yen Sid about the souls, though she had only told the Queen what her plans were, asking her to keep it a secret from the King, who might be opposed to bringing the ones who used to be their adversaries back from the darkness. Yen Sid suspected something, but had given her books to study, claiming that if she wanted the information, she'd have to find it herself. She had learned that each person let off an aura, and though Rose wasn't able to completely sense it, she could detect a small bit in each person, though she didn't build upon the power. However, in the darkness, it was rather easy to sense people's auras. She searched for one similar to Sora's, and one similar to Kairi's, who she had memorized after much studying.

Just as she was about to give up, she spotted two secluded souls, near a larger, multi-colored group, which she took note of; they seemed peculiar, as though they were grouped together. The two souls were both white; one had a golden tint, mixed with a bit of blue, while the other was slightly yellower, and lighter in color. She looked deep into them. She saw two humans, one that looked like Sora, and the other that looked like Kairi.

"Roxas and Namine! I found them!" She exclaimed. She then pondered how to catch them. Then, she shrugged. Placing her backpack on the ground, she took out two jars, which was all the bag had contained, save a few note pads and several pencils and pens. She reached forward slowly, trying to grasp the soul. They simply drifted there, not fearing her, not coming closer…They weren't doing anything. She shifted her hand through the light of the one she assumed to be Namine, looking for something to grasp…

…!

Her eyes grew large as she grasped something. She brought the soul towards her, watching the fire-like mist flicker, flowing as she dragged it closer. She knew that shape. She had never grasped it like this before, but without having held one in her hands, she knew what it was.

And, with this shape, her theory was proven right.

She laughed. "I'VE GOT IT! I'VE GOT IT! IT'S TRUE! I can pull this off, I KNOW I CAN!" Her bright eyes expressed her joy. Her theory was right. The part of the plan that everything had rested on was in place. She had no doubt that both Namine and Roxas could be rewritten back into the present, starting with the past. She could reconstruct the bodies. She could bring the back from the darkness.

She just needed to talk to a few more people, and set everything else up. She'd need Cid, Minnie, and Donald, plus Tron on standby…

But she could do it. She could do it.

And she would.

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"Edward Elric, SIR!" a dirty blonde girl exclaimed, saluting the alchemist. He looked over at her in surprised. He usually wasn't visited by strangers unless they had a problem in the town nearby. She looked a bit odd; she wore a military uniform, but he had never seen her here before. A bit on the short side, her green eyes glittered with excitement, and her dirty blonde, scruffy-looking hair made her look more like a hyper high-school girl than an alchemist. _If that's so, where the hell did she get the uniform…?_

"Um, do I know you…?" he asked.

"Nope, not at all, SIR! I'm simply here for an interview SIR. If it is okay with you SIR!" she exclaimed. Okay, the 'SIR' thing was getting really old really fast…He frowned at her.

"Mustang never mentioned an interview…"

"It's for a magazine doing a special on the military, SIR! With the permission of the military SIR!"

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, cut it with the 'Sir' thing already! It's already giving me a migraine!" he snapped, rubbing his temples. He sighed. Placing his hands on his hips, he looked up at the sky. "Oh, why me…?"

"Because, you're the strongest alchemist in the military! Well, at least…" Rose murmured, looking away shyly. "That's what…I think…"

Edward looked down at her, slightly surprised, and flattered. He grinned, putting a hand under his chin, and closing his eyes. "Well, you know, I've been studying alchemy for so long…"

"Alright, Mr. Elric, the interview room is over there! Oh, just two things; my partner is a HUGE fan of yours, and may ask for your autograph…"

"Well, I am pretty amazing, aren't I?"

Rose smiled. She had Edward RIGHT where she wanted him. "And, some of the questions are a little bizarre, and there will also be a one-on-one interview not to be viewed by the public."

Edward opened his eyes, looking over at her. He looked slightly suspicious. "What for…?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"It was a request from Connell Mustang that I receive that information, too, and he was rather insistent on it…It concerns your past." Concern welled up in her eye. If there was one flaw in her plan, it was here. "I hope there isn't a problem…"

"And this information will NEVER circle around in the media…?"

"No, it'll remain highly classified!" It wasn't exactly a lie. It wouldn't circle the media in THIS world, and it wasn't like she was going to end up handing all the information out to random strangers…

He glared down at her, still suspicious. Quick to change the subject, she exclaimed, "Wow, you're pretty tall, aren't you?" she exclaimed. Then, she realized how stupid that was.

Immediately, Edward tensed up, infuriated. "WHO YOU CALLING JUST ABOUT THE SAME SIZE OF A MOUS—wait, what?" he paused, returning to normal and staring at her in confusion.

"I mean, you're taller than me!"

Edward snorted. "No, not really…" he muttered.

"Oh, but you are! I'm the shortest where I'm from! I'm sure I'm shorter than you!" With that, she placed her hands on his shoulders and turned him around. While he was bewildered, she stood back to back to him. Looking down the hallway, she spied a random officer. "HEY, you!"

The man looked up. "Over here, I have a small request!" The man walked over, staring guardedly at the girl in the uniform.

"Yes?"

"Which one of us is taller?"

He walked to the side, and put his hand on top of Rose's head. He measured it to Edwards. His eyes widened. "Well, Ed, looks like you're finally a few inches taller than someone!"

"WHAT? You're joking!" Edward snapped, tuning around. The man in front of him placed the hand in front of Edward, about where Rose's head was. It brushed the middle of his forehead.

"See? You got her!" the man exclaimed brightly. He walked back down the hallway, continuing on with his job. Edward smiled.

"Well, what do you know…?"

Rose's spirits perked. Maybe she'd get the information she needed…!

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The first of the interview were standard questions; What's your name? Is your hair naturally blonde? Why do you have it so long? How do you stop your automail from rusting? What was your hometown? How long have you been practicing alchemy? What do you look for in a girl? Small little questions like that.

Every once in a while, she'd change the color of her pen—it was a 4-colored pen, hidden under a cover, so when she shook it and checked it to see if it was 'out of ink', she was actually changing the color. Of course, she kept the pad out of Edward's view. She'd ask a question she needed to finish her project, such as digging ones like, 'What did your mother look like, when you tried a human transmutation?' He'd stiffen up, but, buttered up by her praise, her shortness, and Devon's obsession over him, he'd reluctantly answer the question, after having both Devon and Rose swear several times that the information would remain classified.

In the end, she got exactly what she needed; she had learned about transmutation circles, about Edward's trials with human transmutations, and of what she had to avoid while trying one with modern science. She learned what Edward was missing in his own tries, and what she needed, which, of course, she already had.

Devon had asked her questions, but waving the autograph in front of his face, he quickly dropped the subject, and began to rant about Edward again, which Rose blocked out, only nodding on the occasion so she could pretend to pay attention to her boyfriend.

There was one more person she had to talk to…The hardest one to convince. She had saved it for last, hoping that, if she had enough data, he'd be more convinced…

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"THAT IS BY FAR THE MOST IDIOTIC THING I'VE EVER HEARD!" the white duck screeched, his speech making his words sound funny but no less angry. Rose sighed in aggravation. _Oh, Donald…_

Still, she reminded herself that, not only was she working with the Royal Magician; Rose was working with a fowl with a bad temper. She kept her own intact, and attempted to be reasonable. "Yeah, I've heard that before…Donald, look, I know it seems impossible, but, if I have a little more help, and a bit more informa—!"

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING THE POINT! They're GONE! It's too dangerous!" Donald ranted. "People have DIED trying to tame the heart, and YOU COULD DIE, TOO!"

"Donald, can I finish my—!" However…

"Ansem the Wise is dead, plus his six apprentices!"

"They made mistakes that I fixed, look, if you would just—!" She could only be reasonable…

"Sora was pointlessly hurt by the Organization CAUSED by Ansem's research!"

"But the information's still good, and—!" For so long.

"It's foolish, it's stupid, it's reckless—!"  
"LOOK HERE, YOU DUCK, CAN I FINISH A SENTENCE BEFORE I GET A FUCKING LECTURE?"

Donald silenced himself, his steaming temper cooling down. Rose gripped the pad in her hand tighter, trying to control her vexation. Sighing, she put head in her free hand. Then, looking back down at Donald, she muttered, "Look, I know that it's dangerous, and people have gotten hurt in the past trying to do things like I'm trying to do. But I also know a lot more than what they did, and I'm not doing this without help. Riku, Cid, Minnie, Tron…They're all helping me. They just haven't told anyone."

Donald's eyes widened. "But, I need your help to find the right spells. Alchemy and science isn't enough, and technology can only go so far. I need spells to help me keep the alchemy in check, and to place the heart and soul in the body…Please, Donald, I need your help!" she pleaded, landing on her knees. "I've worked endlessly for weeks looking for what I need! I've researched for 5 days, searched for 6, I've manipulated people, I've lied, and I haven't slept well in days…"

"You never sleep well!" Donald exclaimed, amused. Rose smirked at him.

"Good point…But, really, if I don't have the spells I need, all of that work is just gonna go down the drain…I know several simple battle spells, but you know a library of spells more than I do!"

Donald paused to think about this for a while. Rose stared down at her orange-beaked acquaintance. She silently prayed that Donald would help her…She was missing a few links in her plan, and she had hoped that magic would be able to bridge the gaps…Without a bit of supernatural help, it was too risky…

Donald sighed. "And I can't even tell Goofy?"

Rose brightened, hopeful. "Well, it's a surprise for Sora, and you know how bad Goofy is about surprises…Remember your surprise birthday party?"

Donald let out a gruff breath of air in response. "You don't tell someone where their surprise party will be…!" Still, he proceeded down the hallway, with Rose right behind him. They walked down through the white-walled spaces of Disney Castle, and it didn't take Rose too long to realize they were going to Queen Minnie's study.

"Before she became the Queen," Donald explained, noting Rose's reaction, "She was the Royal Magician, and I got most of the books from her study!"

"Wow! Was she powerful?"

Donald paused before knocking the door. Sighing, he muttered, "She was one of the strongest magicians in the kingdom…"

Rose cocked her head to one side, realizing she had stumbled upon something else…"What happened?"

"When Mickey asked to marry her, he requested that she give up magic and simply live in the castle, away from the battles…" He looked down at his webbed feet. "The life suits her better, but she lost her magical abilities without practicing them…"

"That can HAPPEN?" Rose squeaked. Suddenly, she began to worry about her own magical powers; she had built them up a big good deal from when she had started with Sora and Donald few months ago…Does that mean she could lose all of that?

"It doesn't happen overnight…She just went a month or so without it…And it started to fade…" He shook his head. "Mickey realized this, and encouraged it again, but Minnie hasn't needed to use magic, so, a lot of her power is gone…She can cast spells, and knows many by heart, but she doesn't have the power to cast them…"

Rose looked down at her shoes. "Poor Minnie…"

"She's not mad, or bitter about it…I think she's happier not being in the front line of attack, and her healing powers are fine. She's happy with just using that…"

Rose nodded. She had never been one to stay back into the crowd and let others get hurt instead. She liked to be inflicting damage on the danger, and taking it down, rather than allowing it to hurt her friends while they did nothing. Besides, healing magic wasn't her main strength; she was better at casting Fire-types and Thunder-types. But, she couldn't say the same for everyone. The Queen had chosen that when she agreed to be Mickey's wife, and if she was happy, who was Rose to complain?

Donald knocked gently on the door. "Your Majesty? It's Donald and a guest…"

"Coming in a moment!" a cheery voice replied. A moment later, the door opened again, swinging inwards, though Minnie was back at her desk reading a book. Rose's eyes widened.

"Who opened the door?" she exclaimed.

Minnie giggled. "You silly! I did!"

Rose's eyes widened. "B-But you're…!"

Minnie smiled at her. "I do little tasks with magic on the occasion, to keep my power from decreasing further."

Donald jumped, and immediately bowed down, flustered. Rose's eyes augmented, and she, too, bowed to the Queen. "Y-Y-You over heard us…? Your Majesty, I'm so sorry! I mean, I didn't mean—!" he began to stutter.

Minnie lifted a gloved finger, murmuring, "Hush, Donald, I don't mind talking about it." The hand went to her face as she began to giggle, a light blush crossing her cheeks. "It reminds me of the day Mickey proposed, and how adorable he looked when he was so embarrassed!" She then looked down at Rose and Donald, who slowly rose to their feet. "I suppose you want to research some magic with Donald for your project…!" she exclaimed, smiling with closed eyes.

Donald did a double take. "Y-YOU—!" he stuttered, but was interrupted by Rose.

"Remember, I told you, she knows!" she hissed, bumping an elbow into Donald's wing. He rubbed his wing and glared up at her. Rose didn't respond to this. Instead, she looked back over to the Queen and asked, "Your Majesty, if you would be so kind to lend us the books in your study…!"

"Oh, go ahead!" the Queen exclaimed, brushing her hand towards the bookshelf. "I told you, I approved of your little project!" She opened her eyes, warm and friendly. "If people didn't take risks, the Heartless wouldn't have been kept under control…"

"If people hadn't taken risks, we wouldn't HAVE the Heartless…!" Donald prompted, waddling over grudgingly to the shelf behind Rose.

"Oh, Donald!" the Queen muttered, a light laugh in her voice. Rose smiled. Out of all the people she had ever met, she had never met someone as friendly, kind, forgiving, and accepting as the Queen. _Minnie's a perfect Queen…_

Donald pulled out a large textbook, the color of evergreens at their prime. He grunted at the weight, and carried it over to a table, dropping it with a 'THUD!' He coughed as dust was thrown off the cover and into his beak. Then, he shifted off the rest of the dust and flipped through a few pages. Pausing, he put a feathered finger on top of one of the spells on the page; Connector. He beckoned Rose over with his other wing. She padded over and looked over his shoulder, peering at the descriptions of the spells.

"Alright," Donald muttered. "This is what you probably will need…"

And the pieces began to fall into place.

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So, yeah! Rose knows stuff! :D

And, yes, I'm pretty sure all you have to do is flatter up Edward Elric a bit in order for you to get him to say whatever you wanted.

I honestly like Donald's reaction the best, though the resolve was a bit corny. Well, at least Rose is the Mary Sue…-sigh- HATE HER.

And whoever can guess what the next chapter has can SHUT DEIR MOUT.

And, on a final note, the next update will be NEXT weekend, since I kept you waiting! ^3^

~Cat's Eye


	6. Resurrections 1 and 2 out of 16

LATE AGAIN! D: Only by a day, but STILL, I am late! D: FORGIVE ME INTERNET!

So, Rose was on a break-through, the Mary-Sue she is! :D

…I, honestly, LOVE this chapter, but then again, I HATE this chapter, at the same time. I mean, it's just so…so far-fetched. O_O It's the ONLY chapter that actually NEEDS an Author's Note at the end, and you'll see why…Sort of…

But, if for some reason, you're still INTERESTED in the story, then, THIS IS THE CRAP YOU HAVE TO PUT UP WITH BEFORE THE AWESOME STUFF STARTS TO HAPPEN AGAIN.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them. Either that or Disney owns them.

I also don't own Full Metal Alchemist, though it is references a lot in this story…

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Rose. Any of the mentioned cannot be used without my permission.

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**CHAPTER 5: Resurrections 1 and 2 out of 16**

Finally, everything was set up; almost two weeks after Rose had first come up with the idea.

And it was the day.

"The equipment is up and running? Rose asked, looking over at Cid. The mechanic lifted his wrench into the air, gave her a thumbs up, and a small, supporting smile.

"Everything's in place and running smoothly!" he replied.

She looked over at the Queen. "Is the circle in place and connected, your Majesty?"

The Queen looked over at the table. On top of it was a bunch of metal cords in the shape of a transmutation circle. A spell book was open on the table nearby, with several other pages tabbed. She ran a quick circuit through it. An electrical current flowed through the circle, though it simply sparked and shined; there was no magic to activate it yet. She looked at Rose and gave her a salute—similar to the one her husband would give to his friends.

"It's in place and ready!"

Donald walked over to the spell book and flipped through several pages. Right when he got to the end, Rose asked, "All the spells we need tabbed?"

Donald nodded solemnly, still skeptical, but willing to trust Rose. She walked over to the computer screen and, in a flurry of finger movements; she brought up a monitor with Tron on it. "Tron, is the system ready? All the equations entered and ready?"

He gave a thumbs up, as well. "Everything's set! It's ready to go at the press of a button!"

Rose took a deep breath. "Riku, can you place the materials on the table?" She hadn't asked for the silver-haired boy to come, but she had told him today was the day. Out of curiosity, and fear for the experiment going wrong, he had tagged along. He walked over to a small table and, on by one, began to place materials on the table.

"35 liters of water…" he murmured, placing a metal tray—one large enough for a fully-grown man to lay on and still have space—on the table, and filling it with water. Then, he walked over and picked up a glass bottle, thin, but large.

"4 liters of ammonia…" he muttered, placing the glass in the water. Then, one by one, he added the rest of the elements in, pouring them in the water, careful not to shatter the glass.

"20 kilograms of carbon…1.5 kilograms of lime…800 grams of phosphorous…250 grams of salt…100 grams of saltpeter…80 grams of sulfur…7.5 grams of fluorine, 5 grams of iron, 3 grams of silicon…" He finally lifted up a glass vial, about the width of a sausage, and a foot long.

"And a trace of 15 other crucial elements…" He placed that in the tray as well. Rose walked over and pulled out two things; a small, tattered piece of cream cloth, with a battered checkered pattern on it…and a lock of golden hair.

"Articles from the lost…" she murmured, placing it gently into the water. Reaching into the same pocket, she pulled out a lock of brunette hair.

"And a bit of DNA from what he lost it to…" she muttered. She placed Sora's hair into the water next to Roxas's. The two seemed to twine together, gripping together as though bonds had sprung around them, tying them together…Then again, it was probably her imagination. The blonde shook her head, clearing her thoughts. It was time to focus. She placed a metal cover onto the tray, sealing it tightly, and connecting it to the transmutation circle.

"That's for the body…" she muttered. She walked over to the other side of the room and opened up a cabinet. Inside of it, two jars, holding two souls, sat waiting. She placed her hand on the golden-tinged on and closed her eyes. She sensed the presence of someone who was just like Sora…but not Sora. It was Roxas's soul…Or, what was left of it…

She pulled it out, and closed the cabinet, regretting leaving Namine behind. But, she'd be back for her within the hour.

"Wait, Rose!" Cid suddenly exclaimed, eyes widening. "Will Roxas have…Anything on?" he asked slowly. The others looked at Rose, suddenly wary. She snorted wryly, the slightest hint of mirth in the sound.

"That's why the bit of clothing is there…And, if the data is processed properly, he'll be fully-clothed in his Twilight Town outfit."

The others sighed in relief. She walked over to a small panel with a circular shape cut out of it. She placed it in, attaching it to the machine. Before she could do anything else, however, she felt a hand on her side. She looked down to see Donald, worry written all over his face.

"Are you sure this is possible…?" he asked one more time.

"There's a really good possibility…But, if the machine starts flashing red, everyone get out of here. Out of the room, out of the system…Just leave, because that means it's melting down, and that this is a failure…" She pointed over to Tron with her thumb over her shoulder. "Tron put it in the system to do that…So, if you see that, leave."

Everyone nodded gravely. She walked over to the spell book. "Riku, your job is to be ready to summon a portal at any given moment. Everyone else, you know what to do…"

Riku gave her a curt indication that he had heard. She looked at Cid. "Get ready to power the machine. Tron, have the calculations ready. Minnie, be sure to flip the switches, and press the buttons Tron tells you to press. Donald, get ready to help cast the spells…"

Everyone took their place. The room held its breath, waiting for Rose's command.

"Here goes everything…Cid, power the machine!"

Cid pulled several levers, pressing several buttons, and spun a wheel quickly. The machine started grinding its gears, increasing its speed as it continued. Power was generated, and the panel began to glow…

"Tron, activate Code Resurrection!"

"All systems go! Entering, Code, 428. Enter, Code D25. Enter, Code T5. Enter, Code 47TARGETLOCK…!" he began rambling on as they system began to enter the calculations. Every once in a while, he'd murmur, "User 2, Press Keys A, C, 5, Enter. User 2, Press Keys 7, Spell SAFETY, Press Keys O, P, Enter…" Minnie's thick fingers bolted across the keyboard rapidly, pressing the keys quickly.

"All systems ready! Standby! User 1, Awaiting command!"

"Donald, NOW!" As Donald began to recite several spells, she bolted to the heart. Her eyes widened. It was suddenly clearly visible, and the soul was brighter than before.

"User 1! Soul 1 and Heart 1 are constructing! Memories placing themselves!"

"But, we didn't press any keys, or…!" Rose shook her head. "Never mind…It's working!" she exclaimed excitedly. She looked to Tron. "Alright, Tron, Engage Code Resurrection!"

"Engaging Code Resurrection!" he said in his monotone voice. "User 2, Press 4, B, 4, M, 4, S, 5, A, 7, Spell ROXAS, Spell SORA, Spell TWILIGHT TOWN, Spell RESSURCT, Enter!"

Rose bolted over to the table and glanced at the spell book. "CONNECTICA!" she exclaimed. Then, she placed two hands on the table. "MINNIE! The power!" she exclaimed. Minnie pressed the last key, leapt over to the switch, and pulled it. A bright light appeared off the table, a mixture of white, gold, and blue. Static twisted around the wires.

"_Connectica, Ressu de mi, Thundra, Heasour, FINAL!_" Rose uttered, casting the last spell. The Heart and the Soul drifted out of the glass, and over the metal tray. The glass within it shattered as the elements trapped within freed themselves, shards disintegrating in the growing light. The others could only stand back and watch in awe as a brilliant blast of light appeared above the tray, starting as a sphere, but then, slowly, it morphed, into a torso…a head…two arms…swirled hair…large feet…a child's completion…

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…And suddenly, he could breathe again.

At first, he thought that he must be in a new sector of…whatever that blank space was called…The space of Nothing, where he had wandered alone, spending his days searching for his friends, and, mostly, sleeping, hoping to wake up in a Heaven where he'd find Axel and Demyx waiting for him…And several others…Slowly memories flooded over him, though a certain part stayed blank.

But he didn't ponder over this for long. He twitched, scrunching an eye. He heard voices…he recognized one…No, two…Wait, was that the King? No, it didn't sound like him…

But, HOW?

He was breathing? In the Nothingness, he didn't need to breath; his lungs required no air, and he occasionally could go hours without a single breath. He felt warmth flow through his limbs, as though fresh blood was pulsing through him…The Nothingness didn't have pulses; he had nothing to believe he was alive up there. Yet, he had just set down his head to fall asleep once again; unable to feel the pain of a tormenting memory…he couldn't recall what it had been at the time…

And he woke up with a pulse and the need to breathe…

But…

Wait…

…There it was.

…

There it was again…

A third time, he felt it…Where there had been emptiness; suddenly…There was a strange, beating sensation. It beat evenly and regularly, like beats to music, and his pulse matched up to it…

With a jolt, he remember.

It was a heart.

He, a Nobody, he, a nonexistence, he, one without a heart…

He suddenly had one…

Slowly, he opened his eyes into narrow slits. Immediately, he looked up to see two bright green eyes staring into his. His first initial thought was that it was Axel, but the bit of yellow hair poking into them, plus the lack of tattoos on his cheeks, proved that it wasn't the familiar red-head. Instead, it was a girl he had never seen before, about his age…If he could age…

But, he had a heart…

He didn't understand!

He opened his eyes the rest of the way, gasping. He looked around. He was in what appeared to be a laboratory, similar to the one he had destroyed in the fake Twilight Town, but with all of the pieces seeming new, and unbroken.

He was unable to process anything else as two arms wrapped around him and pulled him into an embrace. "OH MY GOD, IT WORKED! IT'S ROXAS! ROXAS, ROXAS, ROXAS! YOU'RE SORA'S NOBODY, ROXAS!" a female voice practically screeched in his ear. He winced in pain, putting a hand up to his ear. His eyes closed, and he forced them to remain closed, until he figured out how to handle the situation.

"Rose, put the poor boy down! He just got his life back, not to mention a lifetime of memories shoved in his head that he needs to adjust to!"

"Oh, Riku, don't be so fretful! Sides, he won't remember everything he got back for an hour; the system still has to alter Twilight Town!"

"Still, please, put that boy down…"

Suddenly, he was placed on the table, only to hear another shriek.

"So I can run over and HUG YOU, ROSE, YOU ARE A GENUIS! You're a fucking genius! You know what; screw what I said about you, YOU DID IT!"

"C-CID, I C-CAN'T BREATH…I l-love that y-you're hug-g-ging m-me, though…!"

Feet slammed against the floor, followed by a few strangled gasps. Then, after a few moments, she muttered, "It wasn't just me…It was all of you…"

"But you pulled it all together! Are you sure you're not a program?"

A snort of full mirth followed this. "Trust me; I wouldn't have even a quarter of what I needed if it weren't for you guys…"

He decided that he'd open his eyes, face these strangers, and see if he couldn't make sense of the situation. His eyes flew open, and he sat up, shocked to see Riku in the same room, looking like his old self, except, instead of sporting and Organization Coat, he was wearing a strange vest, baggy pants, and no blindfold. He also recognized Donald, remembering him from…Some time…When was that? He recognized the voice, and the description he had been given matched it, but he couldn't recall where the voice was from…

His head suddenly ached as confusion rose in his brain. It was the most intense confusion he had ever faced in his life. He gripped his head. "Ug…My head…What's happening? Why do I…What happened to the Nothingness?" he asked. The girl looked down at him, smiling brilliantly. When he mentioned the Nothingness, she seemed confused, but it left her quickly, the brilliant look returning.

"You are Roxas, Number 13 in Organization XIII, the Key of Destiny, your Somebody is Sora…And you're alive again."

He lifted his hand and placed his head on his chest, above his new beating heart. "Why does my head hurt so much…?"

"You're probably confused…"

Roxas looked up, even more lost than he had been initially. The headache's pain increased. "What?"

Riku stepped forward. Roxas looked into his eyes, seeing the most intense emotions he had ever seen in the longest time. He could see a faint shadow of guilt, hidden by warmth and friendship…But why his adversary was being so friendly, Roxas hadn't the faintest clue…

"You're still getting used to having real emotions…" he explained.

"But…But…?"

"There's a lot to explain, Roxas, but…" Riku extended a hand. "Let's start new. I'm Riku. Welcome back to Twilight Town."

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"So, I died in the Organization, and, using information, and a bunch of other stuff, you brought me back, and gave me a new past?"

"Yeah!"

"How do I tie into Sora if I have a past?"

Rose stood up. It had taken her a long time to formulate this, but it made sense…

"You and Sora are brothers. Remember, I told you, I wrote it into your past?" Roxas nodded, though he looked confused. The dirty blonde smirked at him. "Don't worry, you'll understand…You see, you and Sora's hearts were closely connected, to the extent at, when he lost his Heart to the Heartless, you lost it, too. You were both strong, and, since you were closely connected, Sora's lost soul wound up in your body, adapting to your traits, while your soul and heart drifted into the darkness. When he was brought back, however, he needed the rest of his soul, which was in you. You were, in a sense, hunted for it, by Ansem, through Riku."

Roxas paused, trying to process the information. Slowly, he remembered a large, horse-like thing attacking him, blacking out, and awakening in front of the old mansion without a heart…

"I…I remember!" Roxas exclaimed. He gasped, gripping his heart. It felt like it was about to give out with joy. "I'm…I'm not used to the feelings…" he muttered sheepishly. The others laughed.

"Don't worry, it may take a while…"

"But, how are we connected?"

"Your hearts are twined together at birth, since Sora was destined to become the Keyblade Master."

"But, if that didn't happen before…How did you find a soul and a heart?"  
Riku looked over at Rose. "Yeah, I asked you before, but you never gave me an answer…"

Rose sighed. She walked over to her bag and pulled out a laptop; currently, it had a lavender covering. "I need the computer…" She walked over onto the couch and sat next to Roxas. Riku sat beside her, with Cid peering over her shoulders, not to mention Donald sitting on the floor in front of her, and Minnie sitting on the couch opposite, eagerly awaiting the answer.

"My theory was that, while Roxas was a Nobody, since his Somebody was alive, it decided not the exactly like its original. It created a new personality, and that personality created the basis necessary for a soul. Sora regained his heart and soul, but the new half soul created by Roxas remained with him…Which SHOULD have been emotionless…But, in reality, even Nobodies can feel, to certain extents…"

She looked up. "Is anyone confused?"

Everyone shook their head, though one or two of them looked slightly bewildered that a 15-year-old girl figured this out. She snorted. "Trust me; I'm a Mary Sue…"

She looked back down at her theories. "A body can't exist forever without emotion. The hormones that body creates doesn't allow that…So, overtime, if a person's soul is strong enough, which Roxas's was, it creates an artificial heart. It's not nearly as complete as a real heart, but it creates a completely different person than the Somebody. However, with science, magic, and alchemy, it can be the base for producing a brand new heart. That's how I got your heart and soul, Roxas…"

"But, I still don't understand how you could alter the past…!" Roxas exclaimed. "Even the time-keeper in the Organization couldn't do that…"

Rose was about to ask who it was, but stopped herself before she could ask. There would be plenty of time to question Roxas later. Roxas deserved explanations now. She could get her own later.

"It's only possible in the replica Twilight Town…You see, when Ansem created it for you, he didn't realize how close the two were connected, and, when he altered the virtual Twilight Town, he altered the real one, as well…And, in the end…He found he could rewrite the past of worlds…"

"And why don't I remember Sora?"

"Your mother was cruel and tired and didn't realize she had twins…" Roxas's facial expression began to droop, but Rose quickly added, "No, I'm kidding. Actually, you were a weak baby, so they thought you were dead. After your parents and Sora left the hospital, they realized you were alive, and sent you to a medical house in Twilight Town, who nursed you to health. Then, Sora's family moved, so they couldn't find your parents…So, they raised you there…By the way, YOU'RE ADOPTED!" Rose added. The room, laughed; even Roxas could afford a weak smile, too pained by the amusement to laugh.

"No, your parents explained you were adopted, and such…So, you'll remember them telling you soon…"

"Wow…" Roxas breathed. "You did all that?"

Rose smiled sheepishly. "Well, I had a lot of help…Ansem's research was a TON of help…It also helps to have awesome friends, and a very open, optimistic mind."

"But, still, you figured all that out! It's like you haven't missed a thing…" Donald muttered.

"That's because, if I had, you wouldn't have DONE this, you bad-tempered duck!" Rose exclaimed, smacking Donald on the back of the head. Donald growled in anger as the rest of the room laughed.

"Alright, Roxas, you have to regain your memories…So, you just stay in this room…We have one more person to bring back…"

Roxas's eyes widened. He looked up, surprised. They didn't know the Organization, did they? Well, Riku might, but though he had let bygones be bygones with Roxas, he didn't seem like the type who would forgive freely…It was probably because he was Sora's Nobody…

No, WAS Sora's Nobody…He was Roxas, now, and no one else…He smiled at the thought. He was slowly getting accustom to the feeling of joy.

But, not confusion; it still gave him a headache. "But, who?"

Rose turned back to him, smiling.

"Namine…"

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And she could breathe, too.

Her first memories was being gently cuddled by another girl, a few shouts, and several scattered memories, with men whose hair color varied like a rainbow, and, especially, a handsome, golden-blonde boy with the most mysterious blue eyes she could remember seeing…

As everything was explained to her, her mind worked, trying to formulate the plan herself. It was surprisingly easy, once the girl—she had come to call the dirty blonde, 'Rose'—had explained the basics. She asked questions frequently, and took everything in like a sponge. They joy she felt to be able to feel again hurt, but she could FEEL it, for the first time in such a long time…

"So, the reason YOUR hearts are connected," Rose continued. "Is because Kairi is a Princess of Light. Having no darkness in her heart, when she created a Nobody, it was incomplete, so your soul and what was left of Kairi's combined together to create you as the Nobody…" Rose scratched her head diffidently. "It's really confusing, and I don't even know if I understand it…

After all of it, however, Namine still had one question.

"Rose, you mentioned that me and…whoever Roxas is…We both began to rewrite our memories…How?"

Rose, for once, looked completely confused. She put her head in her hand, rubbing her chin. "I honestly didn't figure that out…It's possible that your souls and hearts were already starting to insert themselves into the past…And, it wasn't complete. Me, Cid, and Tron had to write out some stuff as well before you two woke up…"

"Maybe we'll never know…" Tron muttered. "I have hardly any data on the subject. I've only processed Rose's knowledge, and only kept what was absolutely certain."

"But does it really matter HOW you got here?" Cid asked, smiling. "You're ALIVE again!"

Namine smiled shyly. "I guess…"

"And, you'll remember Roxas pretty soon…It just might take a little time…And, as for Kairi, you'll get tidbits of memories from your time as a Nobody, but before that, you didn't really know her…"

Riku looked over at Rose. "Hey, you think Roxas is doing okay without us?"

Rose paused for a moment, resting her head in her hands. Namine noticed that she seemed particularly worried about the first of the two resurrected Nobodies…"Well, he SHOULD be stable, but…I don't know…" She looked over at Namine, trying to reassure her with a quick smile. "He was the first one, and I'm a little nervous…They say that the first batch of cookies always comes out with the most mistakes…"

"Who on EARTH says that?" Cid asked. Rose chuckled.

"Whatever…I say it, and that's all that matters…Anyways, why don't you come up with us to check on him?" she asked, grinning at Namine. She smiled back, too, wincing as the happiness inside of her grew; it still smarted a bit. She exhaled slightly.

"How long do you think it'll take for me to get used to these emotions?" she asked.

Rose paused, pondering this. "I…Honestly can't tell you. There are some things I deliberately left out, if only to decrease the amount of work I have to do!" She put her head in her hand. "Tron might be able to do the equations and tell you…" She gave the computer a sly glance. "By the way, shouldn't we be praising TRON instead of me?"

Everyone looked over at the blue security program, whose eyes widened. He lifted up his hands in defense. "Why on earth would you do that?"

"I wouldn't have gotten ANY of the equations or codes without you, and you always put up any data I missed on Ansem's computer…!" she murmured slyly.

Tron was beginning to get more flustered. "N-Now, I just provided the data! It was YOU who applied it! The Users are the one who do the amazing things, not the Programs!"

"Oh, nonsense! Without you, I couldn't have even estimated what would happen!"

Tron looked back and forth at the others, who were giving him smug grins of appreciation. His face seemed to get redder, but, a few moments later, the screen went black, and a small box appeared. It said, 'We're sorry; this program has disconnected with the computer.

"You can't hide forever, Tron!" Rose called, cupping her had around her mouth. There wasn't a response. She let out an exasperated breath. "Come on, let's go check on Roxas!" she exclaimed. A moment later, she was bounding out the door and up the stairs to head into the room above this. They had set up their lab in the fake Twilight Town, in the mansion, but, instead of using the computer room, they had cleared the rubble away from one of the doors and used the room in there; it had been completely empty, save a few pieces of dusty furniture that crumpled if too much weight was put on it.

Cid let out a yawn, and muttered, "I sense that we're really not needed anymore…" He straightened up, stretching his back. "Well, I actually have to get back to Radiant Garden…Cloud's been bugging me day and night about a leak in his motorcycle…" He stalked off, grumbling under his breath.

"I'd love to stay, but Donald and I should be getting back to the Castle!" the Queen exclaimed. Waving to Riku, she and Donald went outside to go set up the Gummi Ship. The only ones left were Riku and Namine. The aqua-eyed boy looked down at her, smiling.

"Remember me yet?" he teased.

Namine looked up at the boy. The silver hair struck her to be familiar…But she couldn't place her finger on it. "Um, not quite…It's all a little fuzzy…"

"Don't be in a hurry to remember everything!" Riku encouraged. He began to plod over to the stairs, pausing when he was several up. He looked back at her, one hand on the banister, the other hanging limply by his side. "Coming?"

Namine nodded. As she walked up the stairs, she felt her brain twitch. Suddenly, scattered memories appeared in front of her; a secret lab, a boy with spiky brown hair, a man with a voice similar to Riku's, but looked nothing like him…And that pretty blonde boy she kept remembering…

"Wait…"

Riku paused at the top of the stairs, looking back at Namine, slightly perplexed. Hesitating, Namine walked up to Riku and asked, "Are we going to…The room with all my drawings…?"

Riku leaned back, surprised that Namine had recovered that memory so quickly…_Maybe being in the mansion reminded her! _"Yeah, that's where we left Roxas…"

"Who's Roxas? I mean, I know he was a Nobody like me, but…I can't remember…" All she could remember was that boy with the golden spikes…What was his name? Would she ever remember?

Riku let out a snort. "You'll see…You met him before in Twilight Town, and then, you met him there again…" They were walking down the hall, right to the door. He gripped the handle. "You two have quite a past you have yet to remember!" It wasn't really fair of him to taunt him so much about memories, but the irony was rather humorous; how the witch who had manipulated all their memories was suddenly having trouble with her own…He felt a bit bad about it, but he couldn't help but feel a little bit of resentment towards her.

Namine gave Riku a little look. She tried to repress her anger against him; it hurt more than the amusement and confusion. She didn't really like him teasing her so much about being unable to remember. It didn't seem very fair to her that he could say what he liked.

He opened the door.

"I still don't understand, though! It's just…Not there!"

"But you remember Twilight Town?"

"Perfectly! I remember the past you gave me, I remember losing my heart…It's just, some of the memories I made in the Organization are…" He paused, looking up at the open door. Riku stepped in, right in front of her, so she couldn't see who was speaking. She could tell Rose was chatting with someone…A someone whose voice was familiar…

"Cid, Minnie, and Donald left…" he explained. "It's just me, and Namine," he ended with, stepping aside to reveal Namine. She let out a little gasp.

It was the golden blonde!

He sprang to his feet the moment he saw her, eyes wide, mouth open. It looked like he wanted to say something, but no words would come out. He was even more handsome in person. His hair swirled up to its peak, each spike shining with its own golden luster. His bright blue eyes were just a few shades darker than a bright sky blue, and his peachy-toned skin looked smooth and healthy. His long eye-lashes, his adorable face, his skinny body…She felt her face flush, and her abdomen lurked almost a little too quickly as she felt butterflies come to her stomach. It was similar to the feelings she felt when she was around Rose, which Rose had described as friendship, but…It was more…

Slowly, she remembered him; remember seeing him in Twilight Town, remembered watching him with three others…Olette, Pence and…One other…Oh, Hayner. She remembered feeling for the boy, and hiding her little crush from him. She remembered keeping her distance, too shy to be near him…

She turned away shyly, giggling. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Roxas's face was flushed, too. He let out a small gasp as she looked at the girl in the white dress. She didn't notice Rose smirked, already seeing what was going on between the two. She and Riku allowed the quiet to remain in the room, waiting for either Namine or Roxas to speak.

"Um…H-Hi, Namine…" Roxas finally managed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hi, Roxas…" she muttered, smiling. She cocked her head to one side, closing her eyes. She needed a break from the fluttering feeling; not seeing Roxas helped a little…

Before the two could get any more embarrassed, Rose clapped her hands, causing the two to spring up in surprise. "Alright, well, I love little reunions like this, and, Namine, I'm sure you're tired from regaining your memories…But, I also know two people who are just DYING to meet you!"

(Author's Note: In the part where we start Roxas's resurrection…The random numbers and letters, and the words…They really don't mean anything! Well, SORA and ROXAS and a few other things had significance, but I honestly just picked letters at random…And, as for the final spell I cast…ABSOLUTELY no meaning; just mixing and matching several words together! ^^; Just wanted to be sure you knew…

…-dies a little inside- I can't even understand what I wrote…Then again, it's midnight…)

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Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…

Oh, sorry, I was just bashing myself over the head with a plate on how stupid I am for writing this.

"Rose stood up. It had taken her a long time to formulate this, but it made sense…"

…**NO IT DOESN'T. :(**

So, we have CID HUGGING ROSE (stupid), Roxas and Namine COMING BACK (stupider) and Rose's character is still falling down the pits of despair! (the stupidest of them all, but at least I'm killing her and no one else…)

And to think I actually thought I gave the plot SERIOUS thought! :|

The only thing I like about this is TRON'S AMAZINGNESS. :D I don't care how impossible the task is; if TRON'S doing it, oh, yeah, it's GONNA HAPPEN. (JUST saw the movie Tron; immediately played KH2 the next day)

And I like the Namine x Roxas fluff...I'm a sucker for that pairing.

I'd love to rip my story further, but I have homework to do, and a cat giving me a stare-down…O_O TOODLES.

...I'll just hint at it one more time...IT'S A **SEQUEL** FOR A REASON. :D

~Cat's Eye


	7. To Forget and To Remember

I'm bored, and angry with myself, it's 5:30 in the morning…TIME TO POST FANFICTIONS! :3

**OH HEY GUESS WHAT? Do you remember the never-ending fanfiction I was working on? IT ENDED! :D**

So, I'm going to start working on that other fanfiction, and if I get far along in that, I might start posting once a week!

On the other hand, the fanfiction's rather short, so I kinda wanna drag it out a bit…On the OTHER hand, I want to just get this over with…

Speaking of short, this chapter is relatively short, but it contains a LOT. And, by a lot, I mean…A LOT A LOT.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them. Either that or Disney owns them.

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Rose. Any of the mentioned cannot be used without my permission.

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**CHAPTER 6: To Forget and To Remember**

"Rose, where are you taking me? We're heading to the shore, right?"

"Stop asking questions!"

"Riku, why are you holding my hand like that?" a red-head asked, slightly flustered.

A silver-haired boy blushed slightly; just a light pink flush. "Um, we're friends…Friends hold hands…?"

A snort came from his brunette friend. "Yeah, right…" Looking back at his dirty blonde friend, he asked, "Is there a party at the beach?" He paused, then added, "Speaking of which, what about Cloud's party?"

"Cancelled…"

Blue eyes widened in hurt. "WHY?"

"Cloud is apparently busy with work…"

"Jerk, there was going to be FRUIT PUNCH!" He began to pout angrily.

"Trust me. This will make up for it!" she replied cheerily.

"Is there fruit punch at the beach?" he asked, hopeful.

"No."

"Then how on earth will this make up for this?"  
"Trust me!"

"The last time I did that—!"

"Yeah, yeah, Shinra, blown up, the Glue Incident, I KNOW!" she muttered, rolling her eyes. "But…Riku, vouch for me on this one!"

"Wait, Riku, YOU'RE in on it too?"

"Why do you think I'm leading Kairi there?" he smirked, trying to tease the brunette.

But his friend was one step ahead of him. "I thought you just wanted an excuse to hold her hand!"

"HEY!" He and his red-headed friend blushed lightly.

"Oh, Riku, that shade of pink looks cute on you, don't you agree, Kairi?"

She stayed silent, suddenly obsessed with the color of her shoes.

"Stop changing the subject, Rose, and answer my question!" the brunette commented, getting aggravated. "Where. Are. We going. And why?"

At that moment, Rose's feet touched the sand on the beach. She pushed Sora down to the beach right off of Destiny Town. There was no place on the beach she had to be in particular.

"To the beach!"

"WHY?"

Riku looked up, confused. "Rose…We're not supposed to be here…!" he suddenly exclaimed. She looked back at him, confused.

"But, I thought they followed you through…!" she exclaimed, bewildered.

He rolled his eyes. "You moron! Remember? You changed your mind in the LAST second and sent me to Sunset Hill?"

She paused for a moment, clearly confused. Then, she hit her face in her palm. "I. Suck. A lot…"

Riku rolled his eyes. "Sometimes, I worry about you…"

"HEY, I came up with half of it!" she snapped.

"Yeah, and the other half was done by a COMPUTR!" he retorted, though he was clearly just taunting her by now. She crossed her arms, pouting.

"Um…What is going on?" Kairi dared to ask. Rose smiled at her.

"Alright, Riku, you know how to do it better than I do…So, get us to where we need to be!"

He opened a portal, adding, "You can't even follow your own plan…!"

"SHUT UP, RIKU!" she shrieked, temper rising. She shoved Sora harshly over to the portal, with so much force; he actually winced slightly in pain. He barely had time to look into the darkness when he felt a second push hurl him through. Where the cool beach of Destiny Town was five seconds ago, the tall hill in Twilight Town was now, the grass lush and green, though he, instead, landed clumsily on his hands and knees on the dirt path, which was covered in hard earth, various rocks, and a few twigs. He winced slightly, glaring back at the portal, silently sending a curse in Rose's directions.

He couldn't believe it. Right in front of him was Sora. The Keyblade Master, his Somebody, his Other…Or, was his Other, was his Somebody. The person he had wanted to get to know more than anyone. The one he had wanted to speak to as friends, not as foes. He had wanted to know what the person he had originated from was like, and wanted to remember more about him for the longest time. His eyes widened, and the beam on his face hardly expressed his jubilance, which he had become accustom to, and came to enjoy the feeling.

_Finally…After having so many encounters with you…_

He stood up, brushing the dust off of himself. He looked up out over the hill. One thing no other place could copy; the hill had the most spectacular view of the sunset in all the worlds. He watched the golden-orange flames lick at the sky, turning the clouds various shades of lavender, pink, and orange. It descended at an incredibly slow pace, but it was so beautiful, that one didn't mind the wait.

_Sora, the Keyblade Master…My brother of a mere 2 hours…_

But he wasn't here to admire a sunset. If Rose had wanted to do that, she would've just told him. There was something behind this dragging him left and right to these weird places, and the conversations between her and Riku…A secret that they were going to tell him, maybe? Or one they'd tease him with, but never actually explain.

_I finally get to talk to you!_

He looked back at the portal, waiting for the others. Knowing they could hear him, he shouted, "Roes, what the heck was that for? What's going—?"

He was cut off as something flew at him from the side, wrapping its lean arms around him. His eyes widened, and he took a step back to balance himself. He stared down at the mysterious shape, taking in its clothing; a peculiar cream-colored vest, with black lining and red folds. There was a strange checker pattern on it, too. Underneath it, he wore a deep gray undershirt, almost dark enough to be black, with a zipper running down it. He wore odd pants, that started as black, but then, a tan coating covered it, towards the middle of his thigh. His shoes were rather boxed shaped, and were primarily gray and black, with red straps connected with silver buckles. His hair was bright gold, and swirled upwards. From what Sora could see of his face, the boy was undeniably happy to see him, though Sora couldn't recognize him…

…

No…Wait…He…He knew!

His mouth fell open, and, if his eyes could've gotten any larger, they just did. The boy smiled, nuzzling him with affection. It was impossible…He had seen it himself. The boy had become part of him. He had given up what was left in him to give Sora his complete power back. He had faded away, and Sora knew he'd never see him again…Or at least, that's what he thought. Because, hugging him right now, was his Nobody, Roxas, somehow alive, despite having faded away.

"R-R-ROXAS?" he squeaked, unable to completely process the information. "But…But…B-But, you're…I mean…I saw it! You…You told me to look sharp and you were…But…!"

Roxas pulled back, smiling brightly. He opened his eyes, showing that they matched Sora's perfectly; the color was a bit darker, but the shape was exactly the same. Roxas looked almost exactly like him…

"SURPRISE!" Rose exclaimed, bursting through the portal. Riku followed, though he was no longer holding hands with Kairi. The moment said red-head stepped out of the portal; however, a pretty blonde bolted over and hugged her. Sora felt his heart suddenly skip a beat, completely stunned. "Is that…NAMINE?" he squeaked again. Roxas smile glittered, arms still wrapped around Sora's neck. Kairi's eyes went as wide as Sora's, her mouth falling open, though no sounds came out.

"But…But…!" Sora tried, but he couldn't figure out what he had to ask. He ended up stumbling back. Roxas released Sora, and the chocolate-haired boy fell to his rump, sitting on the ground, staring up at Roxas. The blonde put his hands on his knees and leaned down, smile still bright.

"Miss me?" he asked. Sora blinked. He rubbed his eyes. He blinked again. He stared at Roxas. He pinched his arm. He winced in pain. He shook his head, and looked back at Roxas. HE WAS STILL THERE.

"HOW?" Kairi finally managed to shrill, holding Namine close, but still too shocked to do much else.

"Happy Un-Birthday!" Rose exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air and balancing on her right leg. Everyone looked over at her, two laughing, one smiling, the other two unable to comprehend the situation.

"B-But…!" Sora shouted. He looked back at Roxas. "I-I thought…!"

Roxas extended a hand, warmth glowing from his face. "Why don't we get things cleared up with you by getting some Sea-Salt Ice Cream?"

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"Wait, so, you used ALCHEMY?"

"Yup!" Rose exclaimed, taking another bite out of her ice pop. She immediately regretted the decision, getting a brain freeze that caused her to yelp in pain. Everyone laughed at the blonde's stupidity. They were sitting on the benches at Sunset Hill, eating ice cream while Rose explained to Kairi and Sora how Roxas and Namine came to be.

"And so, after that, everything just came together on its own…Though Cid, Tron, and Rose did some funky computer stuff…" Riku put in, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't follow it very much…I was too busy staring down at Roxas and Namine, because, I couldn't believe that they were actually there…" he added diffidently. Roxas snorted.

"You were staring?"

"You weren't even fully alive yet! I mean, you were alive, but you weren't conscious!"

"And that makes it any better, Riku?" Namine teased. Riku scowled at her. He had a feeling she was getting back at him for the earlier jeering. Everyone else was snickering under their breath.

"But, really, Rose, HOW did you come up with all of this?" Sora asked, wondering what skills Rose had used that were worth admiration…

"It's called, coffee, 2-in-the-morning ideas, and someone with a brain made of bone!" Rose joked, bopping her head with her fist. This was greeted by chortles of merriment. "And, also, I don't even know why I thought of some of the stuff I did before…" Smiling nervously, she muttered, "Some of my first ideas was, instead of using alchemy, making Frankenstein-versions of Namine and Roxas out of—"

"We don't want to know Rose!" Kairi cried, scrunching her eyes shut and leaning away, batting her hands at the dirty blonde. Roxas giggled lightly.

"And, also, I somehow thought of a way to make a spork fix everything…"

Everything went silent. Riku slowly turned her head to Rose, and, as sluggishly as possible, he asked, "How…in…the…world…?"

Raising a finger in the air, Rose proclaimed, "And that is ALSO the product of 2-in-the-morning ideas fueled by coffee!"

Everyone laughed at this. Sora looked over at Roxas and hugged him. "I can't believe it! It's like…It's like…It's like getting a puppy!" Ruffling Roxas's hair, he teased, "I'll feed him, walking him, I'll give him water, I'll play with him…CAN I KEEP HIM?" he asked, looking at Rose and pretending to be holding Roxas up like a puppy. The golden-haired boy started laughing hysterically.

"S-SORA! T-THAT TICK-KLES!" he howled, squirming in Sora's grip. The brown-haired boy put Roxas down, only to start rubbing his fingers around his underarms, tickling him further. Roxas kept laughing, tears coming to his eyes.

"Wow, he's just as ticklish as I am!"

Roxas managed to open his eyes into blurred slits. "Aha…Really…?" he exclaimed, a sly look on his face. He weaved his way slowly around Sora's arms, shaking at his laughter, and tickled Sora. The boy immediately let out a yelp and fell backwards off the bench. Everyone laughed at the scene, which increased as Roxas leapt over the bench and began to tussle with Sora, chuckling the whole way. In the end, when Sora managed to pin Roxas down, Rose finally leaned back and shouted, "Alright, guys, enough!"

The two leapt to their feet and walked back to their benches. They placed their behinds on it. Keeping his spine erect, Sora pointed down at Roxas, who was slouching over, panting slightly.

"But, seriously, can we keep him?" he asked innocently.

"HEY!" Roxas managed to gasp, cuffing Sora on the head. Sora winced, rubbing the spot where Roxas's hand had contacted with his cranium. He smiled, listening to the laughter around him.

"But, really, we have so much to catch up with!" Sora exclaimed. He suddenly was on the ground, lying on his stomach in front of Roxas. His chin was in his palms, elbows resting on the ground. He kicked his legs eagerly back and forth, putting his weight on his knees. "I mean, I haven't legit been on the same side as you in…Well, 15 years!" he exclaimed. Roxas let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, but you only knew me when I was in the Organiza—!" Roxas started, but paused. His eyes grew larger, and he looked down at his hand, which was slowly closing into a first. Everyone looked at the blonde, confused.

"Roxas?" Namine asked. In an unsure manner, she reached her small, pale hand over to Roxas's, placing it on top of his. He flipped his hand gently and wrapped his fingers around it. Namine gave it a little shake of reassurance. But, for what…She wasn't exactly sure.

"It's just…" Roxas muttered, turning his head away. Rose's eyes widened.

"This about your time in the Organization, isn't it…?" she asked.

Sora's head jolted. He whipped it around, facing Roxas. "What? What happened?"

"Nothing happened…!" Roxas exclaimed. _But that's the point! _He stood up, releasing Namine's hand. He walked over to the hill, looking at the sunset. He grit his teeth, trying to remember. He remembered Xemnas, giving him a name. He remembered being handed a black coat, and told where to go. He remembered Axel being his first friend. He remembered Demyx laughing with them…

Then holes started appearing…Entire days were blocked out, and he could barely get a glimpse of a memory now and then, of a stranger without a face; his hair was shrouded in darkness, his face blank except for the largest of grins…He was wearing an Organization coat, too, but it wasn't another of the members, or Riku…

He remembered Xion. He remembered crying…He remembered feeling like he could feel, even as a Nobody…

But, his memories were incomplete.

Whipping around, he shouted, "Some of my Organization XIII memories are gone!"

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He ambled around in the apartment, grumbling under his breath. It wasn't his fault he hadn't shown up at the mall today; she had no right to be mad at him. He had explained to her that he was busy, and might not be able to come, but would she listen? No, she had just jabbered and complained over the phone to the point where he simply grit his teeth and hung up. He let the phone keep ringing.

He paused, having glanced at a picture frame. Taking a step back, he looked back down at it again. He slowly picked up the black frame and held it in front of his face, staring at the group in the picture.

It had been taken about 3 or so years ago, when he was about 12 or 13. In the picture, he saw himself, smiling, and giving one of his friends bunny ears. His friend behind him—tall even back then—was cross-eyed, pulling on the corners of his mouth with two fingers on each side. To his left was the girl that he had been giving bunny ears to, putting her arm around her friend, who sticking out his tongue. Next to the two was her friend's younger brother, easily the smallest in the group, and hiding behind his brother's back—he reminded himself that this picture had taken place shortly after the incident, making the little boy shy to strangers.

But, to everyone's right, was one boy, who had disappeared from his life.

He hadn't seen him since that last day…

He shook his head. "Idiot…I tried to warn you…" He gazed down at the picture, feeling pain pierce his hearts. "You and I knew it wouldn't have worked out…I was trying to protect you…"

_I don't care…I…love you…_The words still haunted his memories. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the terrified, loving expression…Tried to block the stench of blood…

_I had to run…I had to get away from you…I was losing control of my temper…You just couldn't understand…_

He opened his eyes, looking at the boy. He was dead, now. His body was found in a forest, killed by wolves, or some sort of wild cat, something that could make those claw marks on his back…

They had no idea what he had been doing for the two years before that. He disappeared; some say he transferred for his studies, but the boy holding the frame in his hands knew why the boy had moved.

It was because of HIM.

_I wanted to like you…I wanted to trust you…But you made it impossible with your feelings…_

He gently placed the frame down, wiping the dust off of the navy-haired boy. "You don't realize how much it hurt me to run away from you that day…" He stalked out of the room. He didn't want to remember the day. The day he had been loved. The day he had given someone their first kiss. The day he had abandon him, leaving him with a broken heart, and a curved scar.

"You're just another life I ruined…" He walked away, his iron mask not allowing tears. He turned off the light, leaving the photo in darkness. He picked up his phone, letting the rings die away. After they had, he dialed the number 2, and pressed 'Send' on his speed dial. He began to close the door just as he said, "Rose? You busy?"

The door shut.

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So, Namine and Roxas finally get to meet their Somebodies! :D

But Roxas's memories are missing! D: Why are they missing? Who is that stranger at the end of the chapter? What's he talking about? Does anyone even ask these questions?

If you remember some stuff from the past (MEANING FANFICTION-WISE) you might know what's going on; it's a cool part, but it's predictable. :|

BUT I'll leave whoever actually reads this to make their own conclusions! :) To those one or two people, I thank you!

~Cat's Eye


	8. 3 to 15

Sorry it's late. I got stuck in traffic on Sunday, and ended up barely having time to…OKAY FINE THE TV WAS ON AND HOMEWEORK DISTRACTED ME. :|

I…I do NOT like this chapter. It is WA-AY too cheesy. I mean, some parts are good, but…When you see what I mean, you'll know. It's just the same thing OVER and OVER again, and…I dunno.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them. Either that or Disney owns them.

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Rose. Any of the mentioned cannot be used without my permission.

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**CHAPTER 7: 3 to 15**

"I remember Xemnas letting me in. I remember Axel being my friends. I remember all of the other members, even Xion…" Roxas explained back at the mansion, which had become their little hang-out. The others stared at Roxas expectantly. "There are just hours, even DAYS, where it's just…black…"

"Black?" Kairi asked.

"Like, when I try to remember, all that comes up is a black screen in my mind…And I remember this one boy, but I can't think of his face, or his name…He keep showing up, and I don't know why!" he groaned, gripping the sides of his head. He squeezed his eyes shut. "It's so frustrating!"

Namine walked over, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Don't stress yourself…" she fussed, a worried glint in her eyes. "You're not used to feelings…"

"But does that matter right now?" Roxas asked helplessly, lifting his head from his hands and gazing up at Namine. "I can't remember parts of my past!" He put his head back in his hands. Riku took this opportunity to look over at Rose.

"You think it was a glitch in the system?" Riku prompted.

Rose slid her forehead into her hand, thinking hard. "Maybe…But, I thought I had everything covered…!" she muttered, suddenly worried. What else had she left out?

"No, it's not like the memories are gone…!" Roxas complained, lifting his head again. "It's like…Like they're THERE, but I just can't remember!"

Rose cocked her head to one side. "Repressed memories?" From what she had been told, Roxas's past—though it had been a little difficult—it had been nothing that Roxas would get traumatized over. There wasn't that much of a reason for Roxas to suppress his memories…

Then again, wasn't that the point of suppressed memories? For Roxas not to have remembered what had caused him so much pain?

"Maybe…" Roxas sighed. He stood up, head drooped. "It's just frustrating, because I feel like…Like I forgot something really important…!"

The other five looked at each other, trying to see what the others made of the situation. When not clear answer was discovered, they looked back to Roxas.

"Well…You remember Axel and Xion and…Demyx!" Rose encouraged.

Roxas thought for a second. Without smiling, but looking slightly more cheery, he commented, "Well, I guess…I remember that, for a while, Zexion and I were friends…And Lexaeus, too…Xigbar and Luxord were pretty nice to me, too…" He looked up at the ceiling, feeling a twinge of nostalgia. "I kinda miss them…All of them…"

Namine jumped slightly, surprised. "All of them? Really?" She seemed genuinely perturbed. "But, what about Xemnas always bossing you around, and Saix being so horrible to us? And Marluxia was really ambitious…"  
The other four really couldn't put anything else in. Despite the fact that three of them had met the other members before, they didn't have good memories of what they were like, unlike Namine and Roxas, who had spent more time with the other Nobodies.

Roxas looked over at Namine. "No, I mean, before that…"

"Before what?"

Roxas let out a little half-growl of frustration. "That's one of the blots in my memory…!" he exclaimed, the volume of his voice rising as his sentence finished. He took a moment to compose himself, then looked back at Namine.

"I can't remember what happened exactly…Bu I remember that, before that happened, we all got along, and all the members had their appeals…" He looked down at his shoes. "Marluxia was actually really nice, and willing to help people out with what he could…Saix was always someone you could rely on if you needed someone to patrol with, and Xemnas was actually really nice…Then, everyone turned stony, except for me, Axel, and Demyx, and even we were pretty out of it…"

"But wait…What about Xion?" Riku asked.

"She joined after I did…I guess what ever happened, it didn't affect her too much…"

"And Xion was a clone, too, so…" Namine remarked. The room tensed up. Roxas fell back into the table, wincing as the hard surface hit his head. He landed ungracefully underneath it, rubbing his head, but staring at Namine with wide eyes. "W-WHAT?" he whimpered. He felt sharp pain in his torso; he had a feeling he was feeling sadness, but none that he had ever felt before. Apparently, there were some memories he had yet to remember…

"Wait, no one ever told you?" Namine asked, eyes wide. "Xion was a copy of you, created to collect more hearts for Kingdom Hearts after the Organization realized only you could keep on collecting hearts…"

Roxas lay his head on the ground. "She was…She was…" He stared blankly at the table, unsure of what to make of it. It slowly came back to him; the verbal abuse from Saix, the fainting, the running away, Castle Oblivion…"That's why Saix kept calling her a 'mistake'…That's why people were so quick to disapprove of her…" He put a hand up to his heart—HIS heart. A heart that had been created, just for him, and belonged to no one else. But, someone had copied this heart, and created a copy…

"She was me this entire time…?" he whispered. How should he react to this? He was shocked beyond reasoning, but should it make him remember Xion any differently? Should he be angry at the Organization for cloning him? Angry at Xion for having his memories? Should he feel depressed, should he be happy…? How does one react when they find out that they've been close friends with their clone all along?

"She was a completely different person…But you two were so similar, too…So, yes…" Namine murmured. She pulled out the chair, and held out a hand for Roxas. Roxas stood up, and, with no warning, slung his arms around the blue-eyed girl, tears coming to his eyes. Her own became wide.

"She was me…And I couldn't even understand her…I couldn't understand myself…" Roxas murmured, stroking Namine's hair. For unknown reasons, it comforted him to be so close to her…

Namine timidly wrapped her own arms around Roxas, rubbing his back. A light blush covered her face. "She wasn't you…You're you…And no one else is…"

"But I could've helped her more…I could've made things less hard on her…" The grip tightened lightly.

"You didn't have to understand her…She wasn't your responsibility…"

"But she was my friend…" Roxas groaned. Couldn't he have changed something? If he had known before she had run away, would he have worked harder for Xion? If someone had told him, wouldn't have helped her? If he had known what was wrong, couldn't he have altered how everyone treated her? Couldn't he have trained her, warned her, helped her out, and gave her advice…? He could've made her time in the Organization easier…He could've helped…He could've stopped her from dying…

"Roxas, don't blame yourself…You didn't know…" Namine closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. He did the same on hers, his damp chin resting against her unclothed shoulder. Namine had never known Xion, but she knew that Xion was close to Roxas.

The other four looked at each other, wondering what they could do. They ended up simply waiting for Roxas to calm down. It wasn't like there was anything they could do that Namine wasn't doing already.

After a few more moments, Roxas pulled away, wiping the tears from his eyes. Namine looked up at him and gave him a goaded smile. "You okay?" she asked quietly.

Roxas hesitated, then muttered, "…I guess…" He walked back to his chair and, suddenly tired, flopped into it, sinking deep down. He exhaled lightly, but looked a little less blue than he had originally been. "It just kinda hit me…"

"But, the Organization…I always thought they were just a bunch of evil…monsters, and that you were the only different one…" Sora muttered.

"They didn't come across as evil before…What ever happened…happened…" Roxas muttered, still struggling to remember. "We just wanted hearts…"

"Come to think of it…" Rose put in, leaning back and putting her chin in her right hand. "The Organization was not good, I'll admit…Because, to get the hearts that would create Heartless, they probably had to kill people…"

Roxas shuddered. "At first, no one got those missions, but, then, I kept noticing that on some raids, only the more stony members went out…And those missions were the only ones that Xemnas went on, too…"

"Wait…Th-they…!" Sora gasped, leaning further back in his chair. He gripped the sides, trembling.

"Where else would the hearts come from?" Kairi wailed quietly, cold gripping her spine. The other four, having been prepared for the statement, weren't as shocked, and simply waited for Sora and Kairi to get over the first wave of terror before looking back at Rose to continue.

"I…I thought just the Heartless did that…!" Sora gasped.

"But, even if the Organization did that…They did that only to get back their hearts…I'm not justifying their actions, and I'm not saying that they shouldn't have been stopped…" She looked down at her lap. "But, from what Roxas says…They didn't seem like completely bad people…"

"They weren't…" Roxas confirmed. "They were good people in general…They just did bad things…I don't think any of them wanted to…" He looked down at his shoes. "Maybe Xemnas announced that we had to start gathering hearts from people…That's what made everyone so cold…"

"I couldn't tell you…" Rose muttered. "Maybe that's something you're suppressing?"

"No, it's something bigger…" Roxas stood up, letting out something that was half-way between a yawn and a sigh. "I just wish I could talk to them again…"

"Why would you want to talk to the Organization?" Riku asked.

"Maybe they have the same memory problems as I do. Maybe no one can remember?" Roxas asked out loud, not expecting an answer. He shrugged. "I just want to know why my past is still mysterious…" He put his arms behind his back. "Besides…I miss them…Even if we couldn't feel, I had a lot of fun with my friends in the Organization…Especially Xion and Axel…" He turned around, and began to walk out of the room. "I'll be waiting in the Gummi ship if you need me…"

Namine followed. "I'll come with you…"

"…Thanks…" With that, the two left. The other four stayed silent. When they were gone, Rose crossed her arms, a thoughtful look on her face.

"A clone?" she murmured out loud. "That might be difficult…"

The other three looked over at her, surprised. "What do you mean by that…?" Kairi asked. Rose responded with a sly smile. Riku's eyes widened.

"Rose, you don't mean…"

"I'll only have to rewrite Xion, since no one else has living Somebodies…I just have to figure out—!"

"Wait, Rose, you're not gonna try to…!" Sora exclaimed, eyes widening. Rose nodded.

"If Roxas misses the Organization so much…Why not bring them back?"

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When she opened her purple-blue eyes, she hadn't understood why she was still alive. She thought she had been murdered, out of anger and betrayal…But, somehow, she could breathe again, and had escaped the Nothingness that she had patrolled alone for so long. At first, she had felt hurt that Axel and Roxas wasn't there…But when she felt the sensation in her chest—a steady pulse keeping her blood flowing—she realized that, in death, she had somehow achieved her goal. Somehow, she had gained a hearts…And slowly, she began to remember the past she had been granted; being Roxas's cousin, and Sora's, as well. And, she was ecstatic after hearing that she'd be able to see Roxas again. She had been given a second chance

When he opened his bright orange eyes, he expected it to be another blank day in the Land of Nothing. The void, empty space he had been forced to walk in for so long, unable to feel lonely, or to miss the one he had cared about more than anyone else. Then, a strange girl explained it to her; "You have a heart now…" He had sat up, feeling his chest, closing his eyes. He remembered being defeated, and fading away…And now, he was living on another chance, given a new heart, and a chance to start everything anew…Past mistakes forgiven, bad memories left behind…And a new chance to rekindle his bond with the man he had given everything up to.

When he opened his cat-like yellow eyes, he had sat up immediately, stunned. He knew that he wasn't back on Cloud 0, and the people in the room were either strangers, people he had seen but never met, or adversaries, all smiling at him in welcome. He had scoffed at them at first, refusing to believe that the scruffy-haired girl had truly brought him back, and that he had brought Roxas back as Sora's brother. Then, he felt his chest, and he grasped that there was suddenly a pulse—a real pulse, not an artificial one. To find that this was a chance to start anew had given him a jump, but he knew that he shouldn't question his fortune. He was lucky that Roxas had remembered fondly of him, and the rest of the Organization, and that Rose had somehow figured out how it was possible.

When he opened his deep amethyst eyes, he closed them. He thought that this was just another dream. A memory brought back from the past. But, then, he heard panicked shouting, and someone screaming to run the current again. He pieced together that they thought he was dead, and was about to try to run electricity through him. Not wanting to be fried, he forced his eyes open again, despite thinking that this was a dream. He realized quickly that he had never seen this room before, and though he had at least seen everyone in the room, the dirty blonde was someone who he had never laid eyes on. Then, he began to question them, asking why he was there, what was in his chest, why were they here…But then, he realized that his heart was beating. After the girl had explained that he had left the Nothing and was alive again, he felt a bit uncomfortable; the prospect of having an additional chance to have a heart—without him doing anything—made him feel indebted, but, quickly realized that the girl wasn't after a prize; only friendship.

When he opened his jade green eyes, he immediately started calculation the probabilities of the scene in front of him being a dream. It seemed highly likely; the people in the strange laboratory seemed like complete strangers, and could've been his mind creating characters for his subconscious to play with. Besides, how else would he have gotten out of the Expansion of Nonexistence? He had surveyed the area forever, and had found no exit from the misty world. But, as he questioned the people in the room more and more, filling his mind with equations, he found that he could feel, and that his chance at living had been renewed. The thought of having a second life bewildered him at first, and as he pieced together what the girl had done—sometimes completely guessing what she had done, and being correct—he almost believed that this was something that came out of book. However, slowly, memories returned, and he realized that, since causing himself pain hadn't caused him to wake; he was fully conscious, and alive, with a fully beating heart to prove it. The computer system—which he gave all the credit to—had given him something that he had begun to thought he'd never have again.

When he opened his light blue eyes, they flew open, and he had jumped up, surveying the room in shock. No words escaped from his mouth, for no words could voice his surprise and joy at seeing this room, and not the Gap. Pain jabbed his chest as emotions—stronger than before—rushed through him, and it didn't take him long to deduce that he suddenly had the vascular organ that provided his true emotions. He didn't ponder how he had been given this new life, or how this new chance had been granted to him. He hadn't been curious how. He simply hugged the nearest soul in the room—a dirty blonde girl with green eyes—out of sheer joy, not caring who it was. All that mattered was that he was alive, and that he would no longer be alone, surrounded by the strange silence. Words weren't needed.

When he opened his beautiful blue-gray eyes, he had glared up at the girl. He had closed his eyes, accusing her of being a new figment of his imagination, who had come to tease him about being alone, and unable to feel. Then, when he felt resentment for her, he sat up, thwacking the top of his head into her face, sending her flying across the room. He remembered gasping, staring around the room, staring at Riku, staring at Donald, staring at Cid, staring at everyone. He felt the pain on his head of hitting it against the girl's face, who stood up, rubbing her swollen lips, and muttering angrily at him. But he hadn't apologized; too bewildered at the thought of receiving an additional chance from these people—who were either enemies or strangers to him. And what hit him like a bombshell was that he now had a heart—the organ that had eluded him for years upon years, for longer than he could possibly remember. Suddenly, he had it again, and it was all thanks to some curious strangers, some forgiving enemies, and a good word from an old friend. He had laughed at how easy it was, then winced as the feelings of amusement set in. Feeling seemed to hurt now. But he'd take that; anything to get out of the Emotionless Mist.

When he opened his yellow eyes, his first initial thought was that Riku was his enemy. And, despite the situation, he was to take care of the enemy, to protect the Organization. He had summoned his weapon, and lunged at Riku. The silver-haired boy had jumped, running out the room, pursued the entire way. He had battled with Riku for only a few moments when he was suddenly paralyzed with a sudden spell. He fell to the ground, and turned around, growling at whoever had cast the spell. A dirty blonde girl, approaching him with caution and a bit of fear, reached down a hand and asked him whether it was wise to just randomly attacking people without fathoming the situation first. With a bit of reluctance, he listened to him as she weaved an impossible tale of magic, science, and, most importantly, him getting a chance to feel again. At first, he couldn't believe a word that came out her mouth. Why should he trust a stranger, no less a teenager? But as his emotions returned, her explanations fell into place, and his memories begin to return, he felt blissful that he and his Superiors had finally achieved their goal; they all had their hearts back, and had escaped the Clouds of Nothing.

When he opened his bright green eyes, he had immediately asked what the hell was going on. Frustrated, in pain, and genuinely muddled, he had shouted randomly at the room, until he suddenly stopped, lifting a hand to his chest. His frustration melted, and he looked around, wide-eyed, searching for an answer. He searched for Roxas, for Xion, for Demyx…But the only familiar face in the room was Donald. As the dirty blonde began to explain how he came to be, he sighed in relief as she told him that Xion and Roxas had already been given their chances, just like him. He had then apologized for his outburst, pondering over his standpoint. He was free from the Empty Space, he suddenly had a heart, and there was now a random dirty blonde girl taunting him with his own catch phrase, who had apparently recovered his heart and brought him back to life. He felt like, so long as Roxas and Xion were there, he could get used to this.

When he opened his aqua eyes, he looked around, completely baffled by the sudden change of scenery. He wasn't in the Blank anymore. All of a sudden, color assaulted his eyes, people obscured his vision, pangs filled his chest…With all the changes in the life he had grown used to—though he hadn't liked the Blank one bit—he was willing to believe anything, and immediately accepted the dirty blonde's words to explain how he had been granted another chance to have a heart. And this time, he swore he wouldn't lose it. A gift couldn't be tossed aside; he'd protect what his new friend with his life. He'd work to keep his heart safe more than he had ever in both his existence and nonexistence. He promised to himself that he wouldn't abuse this life. He'd spend it loving, laughing, and living, savoring each moment as thought it would be his last.

When he opened his deep blue eyes, he didn't know what to make of it. At first, he feared it would be another one of those haunting dreams that he could never remember when he woke up, but always sent cold sweat down his back, though he was unable to feel the fear. Then, he realized that whatever had terrified him from the dreams wasn't there; instead, there were a bunch of people he had seldom seen and hardly had contact with, save one white duck. As a dirty blonde girl began to reveal his fate to him, he considered the probability of her theories being possible. Then, he realized that it didn't really matter if his new chance at life was logical or not. He was given it. Why should he waste any more time pondering how he had received it? Who was he to question those who had brought him back from beyond the grave; from the Land of Nothing? If anything, he should feel grateful; provided, it didn't cause his chest to completely tear away from his limbs.

When he opened his brilliant blue eyes, he was stunned. He had searched the room, expecting to find Vexen or Zexion, or even his Superior to be the genius to have given him back his heart. He was a bit let down to find that the mastermind behind all of the planning was a dirty blonde girl, but he didn't discriminate any less. As he listened to her descriptions of her bringing him back from existence, he felt as though the speech were becoming redundant, and the others in the room simply waited patiently for the tale to be over, though some were clearly tiring of the entire tale; how many times as she had to tell it before? The foot tapping, the checking watches…Even she seemed sick of it, rolling her eyes as he asked questions, thus making her speech longer. When she was finished, he felt bewilderment in his chest, which stung, but it was a wonderful sting, a sting that meant he could feel, and had been given this chance to do so again. With a beating heart, he eagerly embraced life, not truly stretching out his arms to greet it, but feeling more alive than he had in years.

When her teal eyes opened, she had immediately snapped at the girl staring down at her face, telling her to get the hell away. When she felt the burning rage in her chest, she had sat up, clutching her fist by her torso, gasping. Was something inside of her? What had these strange people done to her? How could she feel? And why was she here? What had happened to the White Blank? She had frozen the room with her piercing glare for a good amount of time, but finally, the girl stepped forward and began to explain a tale, as though it had been written on a piece of paper, and she was simply reciting it word by word from memory. She began scoffing at it, and argued with the dirty blonde over several points—the shorter girl's hair was ruffled from the verbal tussling, but she tried not to let her anger get the better of her—and denied several of the things she had said. But as the story continued on, she realized it was so absolutely impossible that it HAD to have been achieved. What else could explain this chance she had been given to reunite with the Organization after her death?

There were now fifteen people, back from beyond the grave. Some were grateful openly, others kept it secret, some were so secretive about it, it was almost as if they still didn't have hearts.

Fifteen people who, if tragedy hadn't changed their destinies, would have never met in life.

And they were all bound together by one thing, yet again.

A forgotten memory.

(Author's Note: I try not to do AUs too often, but…Sometimes, I need to explain something…

At the time, this seemed like the best way to bring the Organization back. Honestly, there is no way to bring them back without having the general plan make no sense, and sacrifice a character as a Mary Sue. In this case, I explained it to the best of my ability, and threw myself under the bus by making Rose the Sue.

A better writer probably could've done this better, or thought of something better. I am NOT that writer. XD)

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"So, what's your plan?"

Everyone had assembled into one room, sitting in various places around the table. Some were on the table, some sat in a chair, and some stood around the table. They all looked at the dirty blonde, slightly confused.

"What do you mean, 'What's your plan?'" the pink-haired man asked; Rose had recently learned that his name was Marly, though his full name, she couldn't recall.

She shrugged. "Well, it's not like I brought you all back to life to hold you captive…" Several snorts of amusement followed this statement. She looked up, serious. "But, you know, with your hearts back, you're free men AND WOMEN…" she added, glancing over at Xion, Larxene, and Namine, who smirked in appreciation. "And, since you don't have a common goal any more, what's the point of sticking around?" She looked up at them. "It's not like you're the Organization anymore, unless there's something else you all want to achieve…"

The former members all looked at each other, confused. Now that they actually had their hearts back, their ties to one another was broken. Friendships still prevailed, but, they weren't bound together anymore. Their common goal had been reached, and going their separate ways seemed like the only logical thing. Out of instinct and force of habit, everyone looked towards a tan-skinned man, sitting at the end of the table…Xemnas, was it?

He looked to each person, uncertain. Then, he looked over at the green-eyed girl. "Would you mind if the fourteen of us discussed this?" he asked.

"Oh, of course not!" With that, she, Riku, Sora, and Kairi walked out of the room, Namine right behind them. They walked out the door, and shut it quietly behind them. Instantly, the murmuring in the room quieted, waiting for the Superior to say something. Rose walked over to the stairs and sat at the top. She frowned, crossing her arms over her knees. "I hope they stick around…" she muttered. "I mean, even that Xaldon guy seems pretty cool…"

"It's Xaldin," Sora corrected.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You know how bad I am with names." She put her head on her knees. "Still, I hope he and everyone else at least stays close…I wanted to hear their adventures!" she pouted.

Namine walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "They're all really grateful to have their hearts back…"

"Sure don't act like that!"

Riku snorted. "That's because the Organization is full of snobbish pricks who don't know how to deal with emotions."

"Riku!" Kairi giggled, giving him a side-ways glance. He smirked. After a moment, Namine set her gaze back on Rose.

"My point is, they'll probably at least keep in touch with you! I know that Roxas and his friends will stick around, and Vexen's dying to know more about the experiment!"

"True…But what about that pirate guy?"

Namine rolled her eyes. "No one knows what Xigbar will ever do. That's why he's covered in scars."

Rose managed a laugh at this. "Yeah, wonder how he lost that eye!"

Sora let out a small laugh. "Seriously, he'd have to be pretty dumb to lose an eye." He was suddenly silent, then whispered, "Think they can hear us?" As he said that, he cast a nervous glance over his shoulder. It appeared he was afraid of Xigbar beating on him. Rose snorted.

"Oh, relax, Sora. They have no reasons to quarrel with you!"

"Unless you give them a reason to!" Riku teased.

Inside the meeting room, several people stared at Xemnas, eyes wide.

"Suppressed memories? But, why?" one of the members—a slate-haired boy with brilliant blue eyes—asked in fear. "What could've happened in the Organization that was so bad, we all forgot everything about it?"

"That's what we're trying to remember!" one of the older members—an old, decrepit man with dark dirty blonde hair—snapped, frustrated.

"Well, what CAN we remember?" a brunette asked, his aqua eyes huge.

"We remember our pasts before…Losing our hearts…And most days in the Organization…" an aging man with an eye-patch put in. "We even remember poppet over here…" he muttered, jerking a thumb in the direction of a black-haired girl standing next to Roxas. Glancing over at her, he added, "No offense…"

She smiled. "None taken…"

"But what ELSE…?" the brunette insisted.

Some of the members turned to Roxas. "You're the one who has been alive the longest," a red-head claimed. "Bet your memories are better than ours!"

Roxas shook his head, disappointing the other 13 members. "I can only remember what you can; that strange boy in the Organization coat. No face, no name, nothing else…Not even a clear memory of him. I was actually hoping that you guys would remember…"

Everyone was silent for a bit. The pink-haired man—whose full name was Marluxia—looked over at Xemnas. "What do you suggest we do?" he questioned. The tan-skinned man folded his hands under his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. After a few moments of undisturbed reticence, he looked out towards the other members. Then, he spoke.

"I suggest we stay in Twilight Town until we discover a solution to our missing memories."

No one was surprised by the suggestion. "Rose was wrong. We still share a common goal. Gaining what's missing from our memories," he continued, confidence ringing in his voice. "The memories are still there. Perhaps if we try to live our lives as we had before, we shall recall what has been forgotten."

"Plus, with the computer around," an extremely tall and reserved man added, "We might be able to find some data, which would lead us to this person…"

A blue-haired man nodded gravely. "Adversary or ally, it would be best to find out who he is, and why he was wearing our uniform…"

"I think he was a friend of ours…"

Everyone looked over at Roxas, surprised. "What makes you think that?" a woman with short blonde hair asked.

Roxas looked down at his shoes. "I don't know…It's just, this feeling I get every time I try to remember him…It makes me feel like I can trust him…" He looked back up. "Maybe he was a spy for the Organization…"

"Or another member!" the brunette exclaimed.

This idea was quickly shot down by a man with an eye patch, who shook his head in disapproval. "Nah, Dem, remember? There were only 14 members at most in the Organization."

'Dem' looked down at his shoes, scuffling the ground with them. "Well, it was just an idea…"

"It wasn't a bad one!" the red-head reassured. Xemnas nodded.

"We should all try to come to our own conclusions. The answers may be hidden in our very sentences," he muttered. "So, we agreed that we stay in Twilight Town until we remember what we have forgotten?"

Thirteen voices rang clearly.

"Agreed, Superior."

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Namine listened to the others talk about gossip about friends from their school, letting out a tiny yawn. She had no idea what they were talking about. She had never gone to DTBS, and wouldn't be going until the semester this fall, in the same grade as Kairi—that is, if she could manage to keep up in her classes, after having not gone to school for several years.

Bored, she pulled out her sketch pads and her crayons. Letting her mind drift off, she started letting her hand go where it wanted to, tracing the outline of a person, and shading them in. She looked back and forth from her work to her friends, taking in neither what she was drawing, nor the conversation. After a while, she glanced a little too long at her artwork and did a double take. Lifting it up, she gazed at what she had created.

Standing on the page was a teenager, with raven black hair and curious red tips. Blue swirls covered his head. A tattoo surrounded his left eye, while his right eye was covered in hair. His eyes appeared to be some sort of special brown. A bleeding cut tattoo surrounded his neck. He smiled at her. What confused her the most was the fact that he was wearing an Organization XIII coat, though she couldn't recall having ever seen this person before in the Organization. But, for some reason, he seemed familiar…

"Who's this?" she whispered to herself. She shook her head. Maybe she had just used the wrong colors, or maybe her hands weren't connected to her memories, like it was sometimes, and had simply come up with this boy's design at random. Picking up her black crayon, she began to scribble him out. Riku looked over at her.

"Hey, Namine, whatcha drawing?" he asked. He walked over and leaned down, slightly confused to see her artwork scribbled out. She smiled at him, eyes closing.

"Oh, just a Nobody…" she explained. Her eyes opened in surprised, and she looked down at her sketch pad. The other four looked over at her, confused at her sudden pause. _A Nobody…? Why would I call some random person…?_

She shook her head.

"I meant…nobody…He was nobody…Just a doodle I didn't like."

_He was nobody…_

But was that boy nobody, or a Nobody?

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ONE THING I SHOULD MENTION: Roxas's reaction was written before I learned that he eventually learned about Xion being a clone, so that's why it's a little awkward there.

And, once again, in the MIDDLE of my writing, shock, I actually try to justify myself! D: I do not deserve such justification! THIS IS HORRIBLE! PRINT IT OUT TO BURN IT!

Yeah, so, blah blah, Mary Sue…You know. The stuff I usually whine about.

So, the Organization is back, HURRAY, and they just RANDOMLY are…You know what, complaining about this isn't going to make it better…

PLOT TWIST! Namine subconsciously remembers something without realizing it! Now, tell me, reader, WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? :D

…And, yes, I do think the Organization killed people. Read the manga, watch the cut scenes…Even though I agree their intentions weren't really truly evil, their methods were…questionable.

~Cat's Eye


	9. The Fourteenth Member

This is actually where things start getting interesting AND they start looking more like a sequel to 'I'll Never Be Enough!'

Hello, I'm a bit early this week, but I feel like it's been ages since I've posted one of these, and to the few people who still read these, THANK YOU SO MUCH, oh my god, your few yet gracious comments make me feel like there's still hope for me as a writer! If I could make the less than symbol then a three on Fanfiction, you know I would! I LOVE YOU ALL!

…Sorry, this is why I usually don't have coffee with lunch. ^^; And I THINK I could less than three you on fanfiction, but I…don't feel like it.

ANYWAYS, this is the second to last chapter and…they may be a little something after that…X3 I won't say for sure…

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them. Either that or Disney owns them.

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Rose, Devon, and Darren. Any of the mentioned cannot be used without my permission.

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**CHAPTER 8: The Fourteenth Member**

He looked around, taking in the scenery. He was standing on a beach, in his Organization coat, the sun shining in his eye, and giving the land a golden glow. Squinting, he raised a hand, looking around. He realized that he was on Destiny Island, standing near the water, the waves barely brushing his boots. The vegetation on the island seemed too bright and too green, the sky too perfectly blue. Everything else had a hazy overtone to it, as though it were made of mist.

"…Roxas…!" he heard, as though someone had been talking to him, but only his name came out clearly. Everything else was blurred. He turned around. His eyes widened. It was that boy! He was clearer than before! He was about a few inches taller than Roxas, with black hair, strange swirls and tips being the assets. The boy's eyes were shadowed, and his face almost appeared hidden, though his smile was clear as the daylight surrounding him. The boy appeared misty, as well. Roxas ran over.

"You!" he shouted, eyes wide. This was his chance! He could figure out who it was! He stood in front of the boy, who looked down at him, still smiling. Roxas stared at him, panting slightly from the run.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked. "I keep trying to remember you!"

The lips of the person moved, but no words came out. Roxas felt slightly irritated by this action.

"Hey, don't act like you can't here me!" he muttered. "Please, tell me, what is your name? I need to kno—!" Again, the lips moved, but no words came out. Roxas felt a small chill run down his back.

"Are you mute…?" he asked. The stranger stared down at him. All of a sudden, he threw back his head, his chest jumping as though he were laughing. He put his face in his hand, shaking it from side to side, mouthing out more words. Roxas realized something.

"You can't see me, can you…?" Roxas looked around. "What is this place?" he asked, even though he knew the strange teenager couldn't hear him. He looked back at the teen. "Who are you? Why can't you see me? Why can't I hear you…Who are you…?" he asked desperately, one last time. "I have to remember…It's important for some reason…"

The boy turned around, gesturing with a hand. Something seemed to move out of Roxas, for a boy the same height and body stature walked out from right where Roxas had been standing and followed the strange boy. Roxas realized who it was with a jolt.

It was him. He was just as unclear as the rest of the scenery, and his eyes were shadowed as well.

This was a memory.

He followed them. "Hey, wait up!" he exclaimed. He reached out to grab the strange teen's shoulder. His hand flew through the Organization coat as though it had cut through thin air. Roxas's eyes widened, and he let out a gasp. He looked up at the two. He didn't know who the boy was…But, in his memory, Roxas saw that he was laughing and smiling, walking side by side with the boy like old friends. The real Roxas stood rooted in place, a dumbfounded expression on his face as he watched the two disappear to explore the island. He reached out a hand, but pulled it to stop. He opened his mouth, only to close it. What else could he do or say? This was a memory…

But it proved that he could still remember the boy. If he tried.

"You…" he murmured, clutching a hand to his heart. He half closed his eyes in confusion, almost in an angst-like manner. "Who are you…? Why can't I remember?"

The scene began to fade. Just as the scene was fading to blackness, Roxas saw a closed eye appear, circled by a strange, quarter moon tattoo. It opened to reveal a brilliant brown eye. No, not brown…it wasn't mahogany; either…it wasn't even coffee colored.

It was…

Mocha. That was the word to describe it.

A voice that was troublingly familiar uttered, "Roxas…"

His eyes flew open, and he sat up in his bed, gasping. He looked around. No more beach. No more memory. No more strange boy…

He strained to remember the dream, but found he could only remember bits and pieces of it. All he could remember was that it was a memory about the black-haired boy with bright brown eyes.

No, bright mocha eyes…

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"I still don't understand why we can't remember…!" Roxas groaned, putting his head in his hands. Zexion, sitting next to him, placed a hand on his shoulder.

"None of us do…" he muttered, trying to hide his own chagrin.

Roxas looked up at the others in the room—Rose, her boyfriend Devon, and one of her friends, Darren—searching their faces for any signs of hope. "Did you find anything on Ansem's computer?" he asked.

Darren sighed. "Roxas, we've checked it about 15 times, but we haven't been able to find anything. I'm sorry, but there isn't anything on him." He sighed, leaning back. "Maybe he disappeared before Ansem started researching the Organization…" Almost a week had past, and school was only a day or two away. Yet they had no information on the strange boy everyone strove to remember.

Zexion looked over at Roxas. "That's possible…After a certain point, everything else seems pretty clear, except for a few spots here and there in conversations…"

"But something happened…!" Roxas proclaimed in distress. "I remember crying so much after it happened…But, what happened?" He put his head in his hands. "That boy…black hair, mocha eyes…"

Rose jumped, surprised. "What? What's this about black hair and mochas?" she intrigued.

"Well…I had a dream last night," Roxas explained. "It was a memory, and I saw the boy. I saw what he looked like, but all I can remember was that he had black hair, and mocha eyes."

"You mean brown eyes?" Zexion asked.

"No, no, they weren't just brown. They were a mix of colors…Mocha's the right word for it."

Rose leaned back, putting her chin in her hand. "Hmm…If you remembered that specific of a color, then you must remember the rest of him…" She looked back up. "Can you remember how long his hair was? How old he looked? Any other physical features?"

Roxas swayed his head from side to side, dismissing the idea. "No, I can't remember anything else…I can't even remember what I was doing there with him. I saw myself with him, but…"

"Saw yourself?" Devon asked, crossing his arms and legs.

"Yeah, like…I was watching the memory from someone else's perspective…"

Zexion looked down at his thighs, deep in thought. "Who did we forget?"

"And why does he seem so important?" Roxas asked. He and Zexion's eyes met. "Everyone in the Organization seems worried about not remembering him, but…"

A brief absence of sound filled the room. Zexion suddenly jolted upwards, a thought occurring to him. "Do you think we forgot to bring someone back?" he suddenly asked. Roxas cocked his head to one side. The other three stared at Zexion, confused.

"What do you mean, 'forgot to bring someone back?'" Roxas asked. His eyes augmented. "You don't mean, like we forgot someone in the Organization!"  
"Well, it would explain why he wore an Organization coat!" Rose put in. Roxas shook his head.

"No, the Organization never had more than 14 members…And we have all fourteen of them…" She counted quickly in his head, glancing at the ceiling in thought. Once he had concluded that they did have all 14, he looked back at Rose. "We even remembered Xion…"

It was silent for another bit of time, everyone pondering over these new facts. Zexion racked his brain for anything that tied to a black-haired boy with mocha eyes. He wore an Organization coat. Everyone seemed desperate to remember him. Something had happened, and, suddenly, the strange boy had disappeared. Bits of their memory were blotted out. Somehow, everything tied together; it just had to…

Suddenly, he remembered. Sharp pains in his chest, fuzzy feelings of friendship, worrying over the boy…The blots slowly disappeared, and months-worth of memories flooded over him; stopping a suicide, an interview, becoming friends, nearly losing the boy, an entire day with him, saving his life, only to watch him die later. The memories were so painfully bittersweet, Zexion almost willed them away. The thought of never seeing the boy again sent agony through his body…

But he COULD see him again. He COULD see the boy again. He could be brought back. He could be saved. They could stop him. They could save him. They could give him a second chance…

His full name wasn't clear, but…

The Fearless Psychic would return.

He sat up, smiling. "I remember who it was!"

Everyone jumped, heads whipping around to stare at Zexion. "Who?" Roxas asked eagerly.

Zexion set his gaze on the blonde, excitement written all over his face. "The fourteenth member of the Organization! We forgot him!"

Roxas snorted. "We didn't forget HER. I think you just keep forgetting Xion…"

"No, no, no, it's not her!" Zexion insisted. "We had ANOTHER fourteenth member before Xion! He was the first of us to die! Don't you remember?" Zexion stood up, too riled up to stay seated. "You HAVE to remember, Roxas! We were his best friends!"

Roxas cocked his head to one side. He racked his brain. Still nothing. He opened his eyes, shaking his head at Zexion. "I can't remember…!"

Zexion grit his teeth and clenched his fists. "You HAVE to remember! We did all those activities together!" His eyes opened, staring down at Roxas desperately. Everyone else watched the scene in confusion. "All the patrols we went on…All of the pain we went through…The things we bought him…Roxas, you were the most important person in the world to him! Please, remember!" Zexion went down on his knees, holding his hands together, pleading with his entire being. "We HAVE to remember him!"

Roxas stared down at Zexion. The other fourteenth member must've been really close to Zexion. Zexion's eyes seemed pained at Roxas's inability to remember…

If he meant that much to Zexion, how much would he mean to him?

He closed his eyes; jaw tight, in one last, desperate effort to remember…Black hair. Mocha eyes. A Nobody. In the Organization. Disappeared into the blue. Tears afterwards. The fourteenth member…The fourteenth member…The fourteenth member…

_"… it's a new recruit! This is…"_ He remembered! He could see him looking at a shy-looking boy standing next to Zexion! He had long black hair, red tips, blue swirls; pale skin…Roxas took everything in, trying to memorize everything. A weak fluttering lit up in his chest. He almost smiled, but there was one thing…

_What's his name? _He shut his eyes tighter, gritting his teeth. He almost felt sweat on his brow as he struggled to remember.

"Come on, Roxas…" Zexion muttered, rooting Roxas on. "You have to remember…!"

Slowly, but surely, the memories came back, filling the blank spots in his memories…

_"No, it's not like that…it's nothing like that! I…didn't want this…But I can't help! I…I really don't want to talk about it…"_

_"No one's ever…given anything like this to me…"_

_"Who's up for some soccer?"_

_"I know you had it in mind, but you won't suggest it…I guess I will."_

_"I'M SORRY, ROXAS!"_

_"B-But my dad was s-still inside…I-I screamed at her…I yelled at her t-to come back…But s-she wouldn't leave him…"_

_"I'm sorry, Roxas…I'm sorry for what I did…I should've watched myself more…I should've been more careful…I know that Zexion probably told you…But…I do…"_

_"Sure, dude!"_

_"Roxas, what are you—?"_

_"N-Nothing…Just…Forget I said anything…"_

_"I…I…"_

_"Dude, that's fricken awesome!"_

_"—THEY HAVE TO DIE?"_

_"It's hard to…Every time I think of something, it connects back to the…"_

_"I just…Can't focus with you around…On anything…But you…"_

Roxas slowly opened his eyes, a smile stretching across his lips. It was HIM. THAT him. The boy fit perfectly into every single memory. He was the reason they had cried. Because of his death. He was the cause of the strange feelings of longing. Because of his care. He was the reasons something felt like it was missing. Because he WAS.

But, if they could just remember his name, they wouldn't be missing him any longer.

"The Fearless Psychic…!" Roxas gasped, staring into Zexion's eyes. Zexion smiled again, nodding vigorously.

"He went against Sora, and killed himself later…And Sora doesn't remember because it was with the Castle Oblivion memories!" Zexion exclaimed.

"He was always so friendly and nice…!"

"Do you remember his name yet?"

Roxas hesitated, opening his mouth to give an answer. But, he paused before he spoke. He and Zexion frowned again, putting their heads in their chins.

At that moment, the entire Organization slowly began to remember, some faster than others, others having been recovering their memories for quite some time. The gaps in their memories were bridged, and the reasoning for them feeling so depressed was revealed. A smile lit up on each of their faces, as they mouthed his name out, some shouting it at the top of their longs, some not even speaking, too consumed with joy.

Zexion and Roxas remembered.

At the same time, their eyes lit up with almost an unnaturally bright light. Their pointer fingers flew towards each other, and they both exclaimed, "CENCHAX!"

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FINALLY WE GET TO THE POINT!

CENCHAX! Oh, the little bugger, you don't HONESTLY think I forgot about him, do you? :3 No, complicated reasoning went behind why everyone forgot about him! ^^

So, all that's left is to…Oh, wait a second…oh no, this is bad…:( For those of you who recognized the little hint I dropped in an earlier chapter…Yeah. Nothing good is to come.

BUT HEY LOOK IT'S CENCHAX FINALLY! :D For all of five seconds, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT'S COMING NEXT!

So, time for all your questions to be answered in the final chapter of 'Second Chance.' Incidentally, it is probably my favorite chapter. Now, if you don't mind, I have fanfictions to glance over, a date to put in my calendar, and a walk I need to prepare for.

**And to add to the Disclaimer...Cenchax is MINE. :3 I would've added it before, but that would've spoiled everything.**

~Cat's Eye


	10. The 16th Resurrection

Finally. The last chapter. I have to say, this is my favorite, and possibly the best chapter here.

Which is not really a good thing.

SO, Cenchax…The little Nobody everyone forgot! (Don't worry, there's logic behind it…somewhat.) What's left for there to do but bring him back?

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them. Either that or Disney owns them.

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Cenchax, Rose, and Darren. Any of the mentioned cannot be used without my permission.

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**CHAPTER 9: The 16****th**** Resurrection**

"Rose, are you sure he'll be okay? I mean, I don't know how I looked like but…He's…"

"Roxas, stop fussing! It takes him a few moments to come to it. Sides, he might need some sleep!"

"But, what if he sleeps and never wakes up?"

"We won't let that happen!"

"But, shouldn't we make sure he's okay?"

"Roxas. CALM. THE FRICK. DOWN. Your little boyfriend is fine! His vital signs are fine, everything worked smoothly…"

"Why on earth are you so worried?"

"He's a danger magnet, I told you! Something always seems to go wrong around him! I'm so worried something will go wrong!"

He tried opening his eyes. For some reason, they felt particularly heavy today.

"Roxas, he's FINE. Look, his eyes are fluttering!"

"CENC—OMPH!"

"No, Roxas, we can't have you clambering all over him! You'll knock him unconscious with your energy!"

He let out a little moan. He managed to open his eye into a narrow slit. Where was he? What were those voices…So familiar…Especially one in particular, which make this weird feeling in his chest…

…?

Chest feeling?

He lifted a hand and put it on the upper left side of his torso. He heard a startled gasp from somewhere in the room, but he didn't focus on it. He focused on the steady beating of the heart in his chest.

He didn't know where he was, he had a heart, there were people he didn't know…

He was too tired to deal with this.

He focused on something dangling into his view; a large strand of dirty blonde hair. He opened his eye slightly more to take in the girl's face. She seemed so familiar, but he had no idea where she came from. She seemed friendly, for there was a wide grin stretched across her face.

"Hey, there, cutie!" she murmured, closing her bright green eye in greeting.

"…I'm tired…" he said flatly. He was groggy, as though he had slept for too long.

Rose giggled. "I'm not surprised. You recovered your memories fastest. They'll probably all sink in at once…"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" he muttered. He closed his eye. He didn't understand why he was so tired, but he knew he'd be able to handle these people better if he was more awake. "I'm sleeping again."

"BUT—!"

He heard movement above him as the girl whipped her head around and hissed, "Roxas, for the last time, HE'S FINE!"

_Roxas…?_

_Oh…This is a dream…_Now everything made sense. No wonder he seemed so tired; he was half asleep, and clearly dreaming. That's why Roxas was there. That's why he didn't know where he was. That's why there was this weird fluttering in his chest. He'd close his eye, open it hours later, and find himself back in the Nothingness.

"Don't worry, Cenchax…You can go back to sleep…"

"Cenchax…That's my name…"

He fell back to sleep.

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"Roxas, look, I know that it's so exciting that we finally remembered, and that he's still alive, but, please, could you _stop_ bouncing up and down in your seat? I think I'm not the only one getting a headache!" a slate-haired boy complained. His eyes flickered with mischief, though, to show he was only kidding around.

The golden blonde looked back over at his friend, unable to wipe the smile off his face. "But, he's ALIVE!" he exclaimed. He was almost tearing up with joy. "He's alive, he's alive, he's alive!"

A dirty blonde rolled her bright green eyes. "YES, Roxas, he's ALVIE. That's why he's lying right there!"

Roxas shook his head, the beam never leaving his face. None of them knew what this felt like for him. How light his soul felt to know that Cenchax was lying in front of him, alive, and breathing. Because Roxas now had his chance. The moment he got Cenchax alone, he could tell him how he felt. He could already hear the words flowing out of his mouth, the words that would stop Cenchax's pain. The words that, maybe, Roxas could use to save Cenchax. The flutters in his chest were threatening to jump out of his lungs, and jump on top of Cenchax, crying out in sheer ecstasy. He could already see him and Cenchax going out to the movies, eating Sea Salt popsicles on the tower, watching the sunset…

He brushed his hand against Cenchax's face. He looked so peaceful lying on the plain bed. He was the most beautiful thing in the room, as far as Roxas was concerned.

Wasn't like there was much to compare him to, though. There was Zexion, sitting next to him, looking like he was about to jump out of his skin. Rose and Darren stood nearby, though not close as Roxas and Zexion. They sensed that they wanted to be the first ones Cenchax saw when he awoke. They just stared down at the sleeping boy eagerly, excited to meet the Fearless Psychic. Off to the side, there was another one of their friend—Roxas couldn't recall his name—who stood against the wall, staring down at the boy. A blank expression covered his face. Roxas didn't understand why he was there; Rose and Darren had insisted he come out of his home after spending so much time inside recently—and having realized they had neglected him recently, hanging out with their new friends.

But none of them were as beautiful as Cenchax. There was a one-of-a-kind loveliness on the boy's teenage face that couldn't be found anywhere else…

! **(Author's Note: Initially, there was supposed to be three exclamation points, but apparently, that isn't allowed.)**

The beautiful, half-hidden face twitched, as the boy let out a moan.

"He's waking up!" Roxas cried.

And that was the last piece was placed. All that was left to finish was to push it in, to awaken the chaos.

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He let out a little moan. Everything was too loud. The people in the room sounded like they were shouting in his ears while speaking in indoor voices. Slowly, his ears got used to all the new sounds; sounds he felt like he hadn't heard in years.

He still didn't quite understand how his heart was beating, or why some other people were in the Nothingness. He had a feeling he was alive—which disappointed him at first. It was like, every single time he nearly died, something would pull him back. Maybe he was simply destined to fail everything, even suicide.

But, in retrospect, maybe he should've let Roxas say what he wanted to say; at the very least…His last actions had confused him so much. And, maybe leaving Zexion behind was a bit cruel. From what he had heard, he hadn't been really social before he had joined the Organization. And Demyx was fragile for a rather mature person. Xemnas probably would've wanted to talk to him about his mission; Saix might've wanted to learn Sora's strategies…Suddenly, his on-the-spot decision to kill himself didn't seem too wise. It was rather cruel; at least he had left a warning the last time he had gone off to kill himself, though it hadn't been perfectly clear. And leaving without reporting the mission to his superiors wasn't going to benefit the Organization. _Luxord was kinda right…Maybe I should've made sure I prepared them all before I died…Oh, they're gonna be so pissed at me…!_

He couldn't completely regret his time spent in the Nothingness; he hadn't even bothered counting anything. Days, minutes, years, months, seconds…They all seemed the same length in that void place of mist. The silence, the solitude, the lack of emotion…It had been a healing experience for him. For now, at least, he felt like the burden he had shouldered had lifted, if only enough for him not to notice every moment of his life. Maybe it was better than they brought him back, though. Feeling nothing for the rest of his life appealed to him, but he knew it wouldn't do his soul any good. Besides maybe now, he could show them the real him; the him that wasn't suicidal, that wasn't in pain, that was always joyful and energetic, like he had been years ago…

He felt like he could be that again.

He scrunched up his face as he tried to open his eyes. Everything seemed too bright for some reason. At first, he wondered if he should just stay asleep for a while. There was no telling the rage the other members would feel towards him. He knew that none of them liked his suicidal ways; they had openly been opposed to them from day one in his time in the Organization. Would his suicide make them furious? Should he wait for their tempers to die?

Then again, if they had brought him back to life, they must've cared about him a bit…

But that didn't really explain how he had a heart. None of them did. How could he suddenly have one?

_Only one way to find out, dude…_

He opened his eye half way.

The first sights he took in were two familiar, smiling faces, looking as though someone had given them their hearts back. There was so much emotion in their eyes; it startled him for a second—it was almost as though they could truly feel, like human beings. They both had brilliant blue eyes, though the older one had a slight grayish tint in his. The latter had slate-colored hair, with a slight bluish tint in it. The other boy had golden blonde spikes, swirling upwards to the right. Both sported matching black coats that went down to their ankles, with curious chains, and a zipper running all the way down.

He managed a weak smile. He shifted his eyes from the slate-haired boy's face, then back to the boy with the golden spikes. He repeated this several times, then kept his eyes glued on the boy with golden spikes. The river of blood suddenly seemed to be struck by lightning, just looking into those beautiful blue eyes.

"Roxas…" he whispered. He looked back to the boy with slate-colored hair. "Zexion…I'm sorry…"

Zexion reached down and traced a hand along his jaw, tears welling up in his eyes. "It doesn't matter, Cenchax…You're here now…" Roxas appeared too choked to say anything. A tear ran down his face and splashed onto Cenchax's cheek; it felt warm and tickled a little. He realized that, right now, there was no need for words. Just looks of adoration between the trio.

He managed to sit up, smiling fully. His eye was still too tired to open more, but he knew that it was open enough for him to express his emotions; for he had a heart now. Maybe the Organization had figured out how to get them back…

Speaking of the devils, where were the other members? He looked around to see if he could find the other members. The other two in the room surprised him. One had dirty blonde hair; unlike every other day of her life, it seemed straight and neat, as if she had prepared for today. Brilliant green eyes lit up her peachy face. Next to her was an extremely tall teenager with black hair and midnight blue eyes. His skin was pale, like Zexion, though a slight shade lighter. He recognized them from who even knows how long ago.

_Rose and…Darren? _He could see just by the look on their faces that they had no clue who he was. It didn't surprise him. After all, he had run into them several times while on missions, and they hadn't spotted him. They were certainly much older…How much time had passed since he had last seen them?

Zexion realized he was looking at the two behind him, and smiled at him sympathetically. "We'll explain in a bit…" he murmured.

"We're just so glad you're not dead…!" Roxas managed. He let his head fall onto Cenchax's chest, sighing in relief. "I missed you so much…!" Tears wet his eyes, but no more fell down his face yet. Cenchax felt his face get slightly heated, but he just smiled it off. _Roxas…_

Roxas's touch made Cenchax feel stronger. Strong enough to continue throughout life without feeling the unbearable pain he was addicted to. Maybe now…Maybe after his time in the Nothingness, he could change. Maybe, if Roxas guided he'd be able to be saved. Maybe, he could stop himself next time from everything—the slitting his wrist, the cutting out his eye, the suicide attempts…Maybe he could give all that up now. If Roxas and Zexion were okay, then the rest of the Organization was. He could work to get the rest of their hearts back, and try again at giving up his suicidal ways.

It wasn't a definite yes, but it certainly was a maybe. And Cenchax knew that he wanted to give it another try, with Roxas and Zexion keeping him up, and a life-changing experience to change his opinion on life.

Maybe they could break his addiction, once and for all. Maybe everything would be okay.

He looked back and forth at the four people in his room, smiling. For once, he felt like the future looked bright for him.

He sensed movement on the other side of the room. He realized he had neglected to notice the fifth person in the room. He turned his head, smiling in friendship, with a closed eye. He opened it.

The moment it was open enough for him to see clearly through it, his eyelid flew all the way up.

His heart stopped. All of his optimism on a new, fresh start vanished, like darkness vanished when a light was turned on.

He had forgotten about Rose and Darren's other friend…

It was impossible.

There was absolutely no way they could've met again. He had taken every precaution to make sure they never saw one another again. He hadn't seen a hair off that boy's head in years. He hadn't seen him since their last moments together; on the day he had first tried to kill himself.

He was back.

No.

He had been left behind. He was gone. He had rejected him, denied him, destroyed him, torn him to pieces. He had ripped him out of his life, mind, body, and soul. This couldn't be the same one. It just couldn't.

But his distinctive features… the frizzled, dark brown hair…the dark tan skin, almost a caramel color…maroon scars covering his body…the teenager's muscular form …his eyes…one was bright green, the color of grass in the morning, and one was bright blue, bluer than the sky, with a gray pupil…the maroon scar around the blue one…

The secretive air, the confident stature, the fearless vibe he gave off…

It was him.

It was the one he had loved before Roxas. The one he loved more than Roxas. The one he had tried to throw his life away for, time after time. The burden was thrown back onto him, with new gusto that he hadn't felt in such a long time, he literally twitched in pain. An invisible knife plunged through his chest, into his heart, and then pulled out. It drove itself back in, out and in, out and in, so many times, he could've screamed in the agony.

All of this hit him in the first second. Instantly, he remembered what it was like to truly feel pain. To truly feel hopeless, to truly want to die. This was the real deal now. No more toned-down emotions. No more Nothingness. Just and endless sea of agony he would tread for the rest of his miserable existence.

The smile on his face slowly turned into a frown. Roxas and Zexion stared at him, confused. The boy he was in love with widened his eyes, surprised at the sudden interest he had. Cenchax felt his eyes watering up. He felt himself start to shake as pain consumed him. The beautiful bastard who had emotionally torn him into pieces, driving him into the dark, leaving him there alone, scared, and desolate, crying out for a light that would never shine on him.

Muffled sobs clattered in his ribcage, trying to escape, but he kept his throat tight. He didn't want to cry now. This was supposed to be a happy occasion. But how could he be happy, when the suffering was eating him alive?

"Chencha?" Roxas whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder. His hand flew back as he felt how tense Cenchax was, eyes wide. "CENCHAX!" he cried out.

Zexion stared down at Cenchax, eyes fearful. He was sobbing already? He was in pain already? What had happened? He frantically looked around, looking for something that could've caused it. He saw nothing in the room that could remind Cenchax of his past…Or had Zexion overlooked something?

Cenchax stared at the boy, unable to rip his eyes away from him. He still cared so deeply for the tan-skinned boy. He began to wilt, the strength he had gotten from Roxas—which he had once thought would make him invincible—drain out of him. A tear slid down his face.

"No…" he whispered, so quietly, no one seemed to notice.

_"Look, I know. I know what you want."_

_"I'll only break your heart."_

_"I don't want to hurt you! Why do you think I'm so cold to you all the time?"_

_"I should probably hate you!"_

_"You suicidal…bastard…I HATE YOU!"_

_"DON'T TOUCH ME!"_

_No, no, no, no, no…NO!_

He didn't have it in him to hold it in anymore. He put his head in his hands and started bawling into his hands, tears pouring out of his eyes. Sobs filled the room with misery.

"Cenchax!" Roxas shouted. He wrapped his arms around the broken teenager, gritting his teeth. His own tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. No, this couldn't be happening again. They had almost lost him again. They thought he was gone for so long. He couldn't be like this, not when they had JUST got him back…

The boy on the other side of the room stared at the scene in shock. The sobbing mass of pain looked up at him, with a half-open, tear-filled mocha eye. His eyes grew even larger. _Wait…But…No…_

_"Rose?" he asked, as he looked up at the girl on the ladder, who was pulling out a book of Ansem's notes. "You know those guys that you 'brought back from the dead?'" He added air quotes around 'brought back from the dead', for he still refused to believe his dim-witted friend had brought 15 people back to life._

_"Yeah?"_

_"Why do they all have such weird-ass names and weird hair?"_

_She giggled. "Oh, I think you're just being silly!"_

_"No, I'm not," he muttered bluntly. "They ALL have an 'X' in their name. I highly doubt that that's a damn coincidence."_

_She slid down from the ladder, landing right in front of him. He jumped slightly, not expecting her to slide down so quickly. "Well, when they joined the Organization," she explained, "Their Nobodies took similar qualities of their Somebody, and, to hide their identities, they changed their names by adding an 'X' into them…"_

_"Wait, then why didn't you give them their Somebody appearance?"_

_"Because it was easier to do the Nobody form!"_

_He gave her a skeptical look. "Hey, I had to cut corners SOMEWHERE! I mean, you know me!"_

_He rolled his eyes at her._

It had to be him. He had never seen that face on anyone other than that boy, or the peculiar eye tattoo. He had thought that the navy-haired boy had died so long ago, but here he was, sobbing right in front of him. He leaned back, eyes wide. _No, no, no…I told you to stay away from me…I tried…To warn you…!_

No. Not another life he had destroyed. He couldn't face this. He took in each tear that ran down the black-haired boy's face, and knew that he was the cause of each tear. He was the cause for the pain radiating off of the poor soul lying on the bed. It was his responsibility, which he had run away from. He had escaped it, once and for all. He had been eternally guilty, and had trouble sleeping, but it wasn't much different from any of those other times.

But he wasn't supposed to come back.

He wasn't supposed to be here. It was safer for the boy to be as far away from him as possible.

_No…No…You fucking idiot…_

He managed to lift his head, to see the boy he had fallen in love with leaning back, a shocked look in his blue-and-green eyes. He knew who Cenchax was. He remembered. The horrified light in the back of his eyes said everything. Cenchax buried himself deeper into Roxas's arms, mouth wide as he wailed.

"Wait…No…C-C-Chance?" the boy on the other side of the room stuttered. Cenchax let out an even louder wail, gripping onto Roxas's coat. Roxas rocked Cenchax's upper half back and forth, trying to console the inconsolable. Rose and Darren looked up in shock. They looked at each other.

"Chance?" they both shouted at the same time. They stared down at Cenchax. Darren shifted his eyes to the boy on the other side of the room. Then, back to Cenchax. Then, back to the boy on the other side. His eyes narrowed, having never been more infuriated in his life. The other boy felt a new wave of emotion coming off of a new person, and his gaze travelled to Darren. He backed up against the wall, completely shocked by the wave or rage coming off of the normally sweet and skitterish boy.

"Treep, what the hell did you do to him…?" he growled, fists balling up. Zexion and Roxas froze, eyes huge. Slowly and stiffly, their heads craned over and faced towards Treep. They had known him for days without knowing who he really was, not even getting his name. But, of all the people he could be…Of all the people that Rose and Darren could've picked to be one of their closest friends…The brown-haired boy tensed up, unsure of what to expect.

"…Treep?" Roxas gasped, eyes full of grief. He shut his eyes, pulling Cenchax closer. Zexion snapped his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. Now everything made sense. He clenched and unclenched his fists, breathing hard. He let out a growl, which quickly evolved into a roar as he lunged towards Treep, a murderous look in his eyes. Treep had little time to prepare himself as he was thrown against the wall, pinned up by the collar. He shut his eyes, wincing in impact. Then, his eyes flew opened, staring down at the horrifyingly-scary boy holding him up, livid.

"Do you have any fucking idea what you've done, you soulless piece of shit…?" Zexion snarled. Rose jumped over, and grabbed Zexion, trying to tear the boy off of Treep.

"Zexion, stop!" Roxas cried. "Fighting won't solve anything!" A few tears ran down his face.

Zexion whipped his head around, glaring at Roxas. "Don't you remember all that we've seen Cenchax DO? Have you forgotten everything that happened at the Castle? All the pain we ALL went through?"

Roxas was silent. Zexion whipped his head back around, narrowing his eyes further at Treep. "And it's all because of HIM…!" he snarled, lips curling. Treep narrowed his eyes at Zexion, trying to hide his own anguish.

"What's going on?" Rose shrieked, still trying to rip Zexion's arms off of Treep. But, Zexion seemed like he was bolted in place.

Treep looked to the left, away from everyone else. "It was a long time ago, and I can't take it back…" He suddenly felt himself fall forward, only to slam against the wall. He winced at the painful contact. The grip on his collar lessened, and a fist connected with his cheek. He felt his jaw crack as it was pushed to its limit, and saw the blood spluttering from his lips. When the hit was finished, he just looked back down at Zexion, apathetic as ever. He refused to flinch at the mind-numbing pain in his check.

"YOU BASTARD! HE'S FUCKING CRYING HIS EYES OUT BECAUSE OF YOU!" Zexion roared. He lifted another fist. Cenchax lifted his head, having heard the first smack. When he saw that Zexion was about to punch Treep again, his eyes grew huge. He leaned over towards the scene, as far as Roxas's arms would allow him. Roxas's eyes widened as he saw the desperate look on the pitiful boy's face.

"NO! ZEXION, STOP IT!" Cenchax sobbed. Everyone in the room froze. They all looked back at Cenchax. Cenchax let out a few more sobs, then managed, "Please…Don't fight…It's all my fault…!"

"Cenchax, if wasn't your fault…It was his…" Zexion muttered darkly. Nonetheless, he let Treep down, though he certainly took his time. Treep rubbed his cheek, away of Zexion's death glare.

"Treep…What did you do…?" Darren asked quietly; the violent scene he had just witnessed had doused his anger.

Treep looked at him, eyes wide. He looked over to Cenchax, who was sniveling in Roxas's arms still. He let out a little growl and swung his head away. It hurt to look at what he had broken, knowing he could never fix it. Self-resentment filled him, which quickly morphed into rage, as it always did. And that's what caused this entire chaotic event to happen.

"Look, it was a long time ago, and…And I told him to stay away from me!" he snapped. He whipped around, storming out the door. He brushed off Zexion's icy glare, and his friend's questioning looks.

"Roxas…" Cenchax blubbered, still in despair. Roxas looked down at him, pulling him closer.

"What is it…?"

"I want to die, again…" Cenchax curled himself as much as he could. "I just wanted to let you know this time…!" He was given a second chance to have a heart again. Not even five minutes into it, he was ready to throw it away. Because it was a second chance into his old life, which he had run away from for years and years, trying to escape the events that had led to his suicidal tendencies.

Roxas's eyes grew large. "No, Chencha…No…Not again…!" He buried his head into Cenchax's hair, his tears wetting it. More pain pierced his heart at the thought of losing what he loved so much again. He had a horrible, gut feeling that, with Treep now in his life, Cenchax couldn't be saved, even if Roxas tried his hardest. _Please, Kingdom Hearts, no…Don't take him away again…We just got him back…_

Zexion glared down at the floor, tears welling up in his eyes. "It's happening again…" he moaned.

Rose and Darren looked towards each other, shocked at how, within 5 minutes, the happiest moment on earth had turned into an utterly desolate pandemonium.

Cenchax started sobbing again.

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Oh, by the way, I own Treep, too.

There's a little thought from Cenchax that says, 'Luxord was kinda right...' That's a reference from one of my fanfictions, 'Hello Means Goodbye', which was one of the two I told people to read after 'I'll Never Be Enough', since both stories have references to the series in the future. So, if you're confused, I'd read that.

This was going to happen sooner or later. I was dropping hints left and right, and if you paid ANY attention during previous fanfictions, you'd know that Rose and Darren were part of a TRIO. And that the third member was never mentioned.

LA-AME.

But none of that matters because Cenchax wants to be dead again.

I think the reason this is my favorite chapter is that this is probably the reason the entire fanfiction is rated T.

So, that's the last chaaaaapter...?

**Wait, why doesn't it say, 'The End' at the end of the chapter if this is the last chapter? (HINT)**


	11. Epilogue

This is just a quick epilogue. It shows a different side of the story, and I deemed it necessary…

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them. Either that or Disney owns them.

However, I do own 'Second Chance', 'I'll Never Be Enough', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Treep, Rose, Chance/Cenchax, Thatch, and Darren. Any of the mentioned cannot be used without my permission.

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**Epilogue: Treep's Say**

I couldn't have stayed in that room. Someone would've been hurt. I would've lashed out at the midget who had thrown a punch in my face, or even Rose, who I've never snapped at in my life. My temper was just rising to that level. Because all the hatred and agony I feel always turns into rage. It's the reason I run from pain, and ignore it. It's why I never take full responsibility for my actions. I don't want to hurt them…

A curse. That's all this damn life was, with these god-forsaken powers.

I hadn't asked for this. I hadn't asked to cause people so much pain. I just wanted to be a normal teenager. I just wanted to make friends, have laughs, going out all night, sleeping in all morning…I wanted a home to go to, parents to greet me at the doorstep…

And, even without those last two things, maybe I could've been normal, had I not have this…this curse…BOTH of them…My secret never to be revealed…And the ability to break someone's heart in the blink of an eye.

_Fucking Chance…Why did you have to fall in love with me? Of all the people…ME! _My eyes shut tightly, trying to keep back the tears I've battled with for years. The agony turned into anger. _We could've been the best of friends! I might've liked you enough to tell you my secret! We could've spent day and night fucking up the town, laughing at shit…But you had to fucking go and fall in love with me!_

My shoulders were getting tenser and tenser as I ran on. The deep thuds on the earth told me I had bolted into the forest, which was even worse. It made the memories of when I lost control of my rage seem even fresher…I ran faster. Running away never helped, but, damn, it felt good…

Of all people to be mad at, you'd think I'd be mad at Chance. But, honestly…No. He was the last person I was mad at. In fact, I felt deep regret every time I even thought about the boy.

No, I was angry at myself. For letting that boy fall in love with me. If I had stopped it, he never would've cut. He wouldn't have been emotionally scarred. He wouldn't have bled alone in the forest for…Oh, god, who knows how long he had been out there…?

_He slit his wrists for me…He threw himself away for me…He did every little thing to impress me, to make me happy…He wanted to DIE to get away from me…He's suicidal, and it's all my fault…_

More rage consumed my soul, trying to dull the anguish. I had to change…Before someone got hurt…Where skin was, long tuffs of brown fur suddenly appeared. I crouched down, running on all fours. I kept going on and on, the leather on my feet pounding against the ground, crushing the damp leaves and vegetation. My tongue lolled out of my mouth as I bolted on, panting. A mad glint must've lit up my eyes, for any creature nearby had bolted off. I growled, trying to release my anger, and let the sadness come back. I'd rather be consumed with grief rather than anger…But I couldn't let that show. No one deserved to be dragged down by my own pain.

I could apologize. Say I'm sorry. Take back all the mean things I had said. But…I couldn't. More than anything, I wanted to. For all I've done to him, he deserved an apology, even from me, and especially from me. But, it wouldn't help Chance. He needed so much more than an apology. And, if I said I was sorry, he might think he still had a shot…That I could still fall in love with him. Maybe it was a ridiculous thought, but I couldn't risk it. Because, maybe I'd hurt him again. Or maybe I would fall for him…I doubled my pace as that thought crossed my mind. No…I couldn't even THINK of what would happen if I did…As cruel as it was not to apologize to Chance now, it would hurt more if I did, only to hurt him again later. Because, what he desperately needed, I couldn't give. I don't deserve to even look at him, for what I've done to him.

_I want to say sorry…I just can't…_I let out a snarl. _GOD DAMMIT, WHY IS LIFE SO FUCKING UNFAIR?_

I skidded to a halt suddenly, panting heavily. Okay, I was too tired to be angry now…I sat down on my hindquarters, staring out. I was standing on the same cliff. From the night. THE NIGHT. The night I had taken everything Chance held sacred, and thrown it on the ground, torn to bits…

_Couldn't I be alone today? Both of them knew I was always in a terrible mood on the day of the…Well, you know…THAT._

_And yet, they were inviting me to go to their house, and, of course, if I didn't go, Rose would be at my throat for not going. I might as well just get this over with…_

_I walked in sulkily, not even trying to mask my foul mood. And it only worsened when I saw who else they invited. Of all people, it had to be Chance. CHANCE. Purposely, I avoided him, to get him to stop being all over me, to stop him from caring. To stop him from having this stupid crush, and to hint to him that he should just move on. He could do so much better than me; all I could do was hurt people. Sides, I wasn't gay._

_But, of course, no one noticed how my temper got just a tiny bit worse. After all, why would they? The way my temper flares, they were used to me getting randomly pissed off at the smallest things._

_"Hi, Treep!" Darren exclaimed. I barely grumbled anything in reply. I was too busy trying to ignore Chance's searching eye as he tried to read me. I didn't really understand how he could do it, let alone why he had so much trouble reading me. It's pretty simple. 'Bad boy who is pushing you away. Always ticked off. Impossible to impress.' Wake up and smell the freaking coffee, Chance! I'm trying to push you away. I'm trying to HELP you. And I'm not about to just change overnight._

_…Well, I mean…_

_Ug, I was confused. Thinking of how to react to Chance was confusing. Giving him a chance to think I could ever care for him was too risky, so being too friendly was out…But I didn't want to hurt him too terribly, so I couldn't just be down-right cruel to him…Hiding my sympathetic feelings around him was pretty hard, too. I walked over to the old couch to sit down. Immediately, something sharp struck my ass._

_"OW!" I yelped. I leapt up, looking down. It was only a broken spring…_

_"Are you okay?" Chance cried out. Concern welled up in my eyes. It made me sick, how someone would be that concerned for me. _Chance, you could do so much better…_It pisses me off, the way he couldn't understand that I was a lost cause. I wanted him to give up. To realize I was no good. To forget about me…_

_I sent him a glare, which I guess was a little too harsh, for he winced at it. But, if I wasn't cruel to him, he might get the wrong ideas…_

No. I didn't want to remember anymore. Tears welled up in my eyes. There wasn't any anger anymore. I was done. All that was left was an ache in my heart.

_I should've given you a chance, if only to stop you from jumping off a cliff. I should've stuck with Darren and Rose and you that day…We never should've gone for that walk…_

But the memories wouldn't stop…It kept flooding over, even as I began to whimper in pain—I NEVER whimper at anything…

_"Yeah, but Rose, you need to trash this thing! It's falling apart! I could get hurt!"_

_She just rolled her eyes at me. "Treep, you idiot, you didn't read the sign!" She pointed to my right. I looked over. On the couch, in plain view, was a sign that said 'DO NOT SIT ON ME!' in bold, black letters. I stared at the sign for a moment. Then, I glared at it. It wasn't my fault I hadn't clearly seen the sign…Rose needed to learn to place things better…_

_I walked away from me. That couch no longer got the honor of being in my presence._

_"Why are you in such a bad mood?" Chance asked. It was an innocent enough question. I almost snorted at the ridiculousness of it. Why was I in a bad mood? I was always in a bad mood!_

_Then again…He was earnest enough…_

_"Because tonight's the night of the—!" I started, then, I realized I was an idiot. A bug-eyed idiot. Already, Rose and Darren were giving me the, 'WHAT ARE YOU FREAKING DOING? DON'T FUCKING SAY IT!' signs. What was I ON? Tell Chance about tonight? Release my secret? I barely trusted the boy to be my FRIEND, let alone a secret keeper!_

_"Night of the what?"_

_"Nothing!" I snapped. Oh, god, he was wincing again…I knew I could be mean, but being mean to someone like Chance just seemed wrong…But I couldn't let him fall for me. His feelings had to die._

_Rose and Darren exchanged a glance, which I tensed at. I knew they noticed my manner around Chance, and probably wondered how I could be so mean to the friendly, kind boy. But it wasn't my secret to share. It shouldn't even belong to Chance. Affections for me shouldn't exist…_

_"Right…well, we were just going to go for a walk in the park…Wanna come?" Rose asked both me and Chance._

_"Sure!" Athletic Chance. Always staying on his feet._

_I didn't really want to go, but I figured that Rose and Darren were trying to find things to distract me from tonight. They were sweet like that. I guess I could suffer, and at least spend a little time with the three._

_"Whatever…" I ended up replying with._

_Out the door, down several streets, and finally, into the park. The other three were chatting carefully. I didn't want to talk that night, too irritable to deal with stupid questions. I found myself observing Chance as he laughed and talked away. A knife if guilt stabbed through my heart. _If it wasn't for me, he could be like this all the time…_I barely felt like I should even deserve to talk to him. Whenever he turned around to try and get me to talk, I didn't answer, or kept them short and cold. I felt just a little too wretched to want to take part in the conversation. He was persistent, though…_

_Rose, spontaneous as always, ran ahead, shouting, "Let's go get some ice-cream! Last one there buys!"_

_Darren was soon bounding after her, exclaiming, "No fair! You got a head start!" I dunno how she did it, but something about the dirty blonde brought out the black-haired boy's social side._

_I didn't really feel like having ice-cream, though. My stomach was clenched with a mess of emotions that would probably make me hurl out any and all of the ice-cream I'd eat. I just watched them go. Chance started to chase after them, but I guess he noticed that I wasn't coming, because he turned around and trotted up to me. "Don't you want some ice-cream?"_

_"No…" I stared down at my shoes. I didn't want to face his heartfelt face. I glanced at his arm bands. _It's my fault…I just can't…

_I turned away, wanting to get away from everything. I began to walk into the woods, and though it didn't surprise me that Chance followed me, it disappointed me that he did. He was only trying to help. And that's what made it worse. I tried to warn him away. I tried to make the air around us so hostile that he'd get that needed to be alone…_

_But the boy either didn't catch on, or he was so used to things that he didn't care. He kept getting closer and closer to me. I could feel the heat of his body approaching mind, slowly. He had to stop. This had to end._

_Before I could stop them, the words were spilling out._

_"Look, I know. I know what you want."_

_I closed my eyes, trying not to let my sadness go. I kept telling myself, _It's for the best…He's better off without me…_"I know. And I'm just warning you, before I hurt you, that it's a waste of time and effort. I'll only break your heart."_

_He stopped walking. He finally got it. I was dangerous in so many ways. I just wasn't worth it…_

_At least, that's what I thought. He jogged to catch up with me, walking right behind me. Almost too quietly for me to hear, he whispered…_

_"But, what if I like being broken?"_

_I froze. He was so close to me that the edges of our shirts were almost brushing. I felt the fury in me grow more. NO! You're not supposed to like that! Being broken is horrible, don't you GET it?_

_"Look, I'm only trying to help! If you get broken, you can't be fixed!" _Run away, hate me, stop caring…Forget about me, please. I don't want to hurt you…_Already, I felt my uncontrollable temper rising…_

I fell to the ground, covering my ears, letting out a desolate snarl, which was as close as humanly possible to being a whine. I didn't want to remember. I wanted to just forget everything, just leave the past behind…

But my past was finally catching up with me.

_"I'm sure you could fix me…You can do anything!"_

_Oh, no…Kid, I'm not Superman…Stop thinking so highly of me! I don't fix, I DESTROY. Fall for someone your age! I was getting really desperate, desperate to have Chance stop caring. I'd rather him hate me forever than for me to be the focus of his affections…_

_I whipped around, trying to mask my desperation with rage. "No, I can't! You'd end up getting hurt! I don't want to hurt you! Why do you think I'm so cold to you all the time!" _I can't fix you…I can't save you from shit…Just hate me, please…

_Chance was scared. I could almost smell his fear. But, he was just a stubborn. He wasn't giving me up without a fight…Which made me even angrier. "I already hurt myself enough…" He glanced down at his wrists. "You'd help make the pain go away…"_

_I hesitated. I turned away, putting my head in my hand. No…No, not the guilt ploy. Not that. Please. I wouldn't make the pain go away. I'd make it worse. Chance, you have to understand that…_

_"Look, I have every reason to not be with you…"_

_"I have every reason to care about you…"_

YOU IDIOT, I'm a fucking BASTARD! There's no reason to love me! _"It won't work out! I don't even LIKE like you!"_

_"Feelings can grow over time!"_

No, they don't. Stop day-dreaming, Chance. I'm not gay…_"I should probably hate you!"_

_As I let those words out, I hoped to no end that he'd finally get it. I wanted him to realize that, if he was going to keep this up, that the only way it could end was messily._

_"I don't care…I…love you…"_

_Something inside of me just snapped._

_No. No, no, I thought this was just a stupid crush…Not love. Anything but love. You don't love me. You can't…I'm too late…I couldn't stop it…Resentment filled my chest, threatening to make me fall off my feet. He could do so much better…He was OLDER than me…He was kinder, gentler, friendlier, more out-going, more athletic, more social…He could do SO much better than me…!_

_I whipped around, but the rush of my motions caused me to trips._

_And I kissed him._

No, I didn't! He didn't love me! This was a lie! None of this happened! We were friends, and he didn't love me! Someone tell me that's what happened!

_"You suicidal…bastard…"_

He didn't deserve someone as mean as me! He should've gone after Thatch, or Darren, or even Toby…Just, not me!

_"I HATE YOU!" I couldn't control my blind rage anymore. I ran. I had to stop myself. Chance…I…_

I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY! I wish there was something I could do! But nothing could make up for my actions.

_I ran and ran, deeper and deeper. The forest seemed to get darker around me…_

But Chance didn't follow me…No, no, he didn't…He stayed where he was, and he turned around, and he stopped loving me…Couldn't it have just happened like that…?

_I wanted to rip something to shreds. I just wanted to let my anger out. I needed to get away…_

No! I didn't do this! This was a lie! I didn't want it to end this way!

_But he was right behind me…And he was catching up…What happened next—_

Didn't happen. Please, someone, ANYONE, tell me that that was all just a sick joke or a stupid fucking nightmare…Anything but the truth, please…I was barely 13…I was stupid…

_—barely registered in my mind._

_"DON'T TOUCH ME!"_

_I hit him._

_I lost control, and as I changed, I slashed him across the back…Blood covered my claws._

I was still whimpering. No, no, no, I didn't give him a scar…I didn't leave him there…I didn't break him…But I did.

_I ran. And ran. And ran. I just ran everything off. I got away._

What was I thinking? That I'd never have to face him again? His cries are in my nightmares! His words plague my mind! The memories we made batter me day after day! And now, he's back, and just as bad as before, if not worse…

_Chance…I'm so sorry…_

_I just wish I could let you know…_

I let out a long-drawn, pain-filled howl, and kept howling on and on, trying to ease the grief I felt coming off of Chance.

**THE END**

**Thisisaborderline Thisisaborderline Thisisaborderline Thisisaborderline Thisisaborderline**

I just wanted Treep to give his side of the story. Most likely because I know his own back-story, and I'm sympathetic to him.

I don't want people hating Treep, despite what he did to Chance. His character usually isn't this weak, but even the strong break down. If you read this, and still dislike his character, then by all means, go ahead. I just wanted to give you the chance to see that he's not exactly the villain here.

WELL, I want to thank all of you for sticking with the story, despite the fact that this is still rather old! Oh, and a little bit of good news is coming to those on dA! ^^ And fanfiction, for that matter!

And thus, Second Chance has ended.

UG. FANFICTION IS BEING A FROGGING BIRCH TREE! I feel like screaming with frustration! Took my FIFTEEN minutes to figure this out! Then the chapter was delayed because for some reason certain fanfictions of mine wouldn't update...!

But, it's up, and I'm in too happy of a mood to be mad! ^^

~Cat's Eye


	12. ANNOUNCEMENT

Well, Second Chance has ended!

But the Taking Chances series has only JUST begun!

**That's right! You're stuck with ANOTHER sequel! ** Probably sick of Cenchax by now, aren't you?

This one will be called, At Least He Tried, and will be released HOPEFULLY next weekend, depending on if I have time.

And, actually, just a little warning…This will be the last of Cenchax's stories that will be posted on . I don't want to reveal too much into the future…(Like hint that there's ANOTHER sequel…XD) but, further ahead, there's less and less interaction with the Organization and more and more interaction with my own characters…I'll still use the Organization, but it won't be the main focus. And the main focus of Fanfiction is to write about the characters.

BUT At Least He Tried will be on fanfiction, and if you just go onto DeviantArt and search for Cenchax, you'll find me, Cats-Eye-93! ^^

So, be on the lookout for the sequel! :D

(By the way, this announcement will remain up to let everyone in the future know that there's a sequel.)

~Cat's Eye


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